A Ski Trip to Remember
by Borrowed Twenties
Summary: When Cronus does a no-show on Christmas, they are mistakenly fooled that Cronus has taken the rest of the December off. What they don't know is that they will have to face off against a new enemy. Sequel to A Random Christmas Story. JxT, AxA, NxOC
1. Prologue

This marks the beginning of the sequel to **A Random Christmas Story**! There's no necessity to read its prequel, though I think it might be much better. In this story, just for your information, JT and AA are together now(: Okay, without much further ado, I shall begin the story!

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own Class of the Titans, and actually I don't wish I did because I can't draw nearly half as well as the storyboard artists and all that. Haha but I don't mind playing scriptwriter! Merely wishful thinking on my part though.

**Prologue**

The cave was cool and silent, save for the occasional soft patter of a drop of water falling. The walls were rough and seemed to resound the shady darkness that blanketed the cave. There was merely a blue, luminous light shining, rather pale and ghostly, from the magical pool that the cave's occupant owned.

A tumble of feet and a girl's indignant grumble brought the sleeping god awake. Waiting for the lumbering giant to enter his presence, the God of Time leaned back on his stony throne, a smirk on his features.

"Ah, I see you've found her, Agnon," Cronus remarked dryly, watching as the giant bowed low to his master.

However, the beautiful woman did no such thing. "What have you brought me here for, Cronus?" she asked darkly. Her hand reached out consciously to touch her wavy gold locks that reached to just below her shoulders.

"I let you out of the dark, forlorn prison that Zeus put you in," Cronus started, crossing his arms. "You would have eternal imprisonment if I did not free you."

"There is a catch to this, isn't there?" the woman replied, looking bored, as her cobalt blue eyes raised to Cronus' eye level. She yawned.

Cronus felt mometary annoyance, but he brushed it away. "I see you haven't lost your sense of sharpness," he said. "Well, I need you to do something for me. If you do that, I can easily let you go. But if you can't, I'll send you back to the prison where you rightfully belong. Besides, if you do this little task for me, you can get back at Zeus for what he's done to you."

"And that is?"

Cronus smiled evilly, lifting out his hand. In his hand he projected an image of seven teenagers. "Destroy these seven teenagers, and you'll get your freedom."

"You do know how easy this is going to be, don't you?" the woman remarked, laughing silently. Her eyes shimmered with an evil glint.

"That's good to hear. Meanwhile, here are some of the earthly clothes that modern people wear." Waving his hand lightly, he replaced her old-fashioned Greek wear with the modern clothing of today.

"Alright, I shall leave now and do what you've asked me to," the woman said. Turning around and walking off, an evil smile played on her lips. "This will be so fun."

--

Okay, so this won't be as light-hearted as A Random Christmas Story. This will be way more serious - I hope. I've never wrote an adventure fic before, so this will be my first time. But anyway, please review and let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"Finally!" Neil said irritably, the first to get out of the limosine. "We're here!"

The rest piled out of the limosine that Hera had sent to bring them to the resort. Herry then proceeded to remove all the luggage from the boot, and when he was done, Jay thanked the driver and the limosine pulled out of the carpark of the Grande Royal Hotel and left.

"Classy name, too," Theresa noted, beaming. She pulled her scarf up to cover more of her neck as she gazed out at the beautiful snowy peaks and the ski lifts. She just couldn't wait to whip out her skis and start the skiing.

Atlanta seemed eager to ski as well. "Come on, let's hurry! I want to explore the area."

Odie shuddered, pulling up his foggy glasses. "I think I'll rather stay in the comfy hotel room and do my stuff any day."

Jay gestured towards the hotel entrance. "Come on, let's get check in."

--

"Here are your keys," said the receptionist pleasantly, handing the keys over to Jay. "You've got Cabin 101."

Neil groaned. "A _cabin_. And here I was hoping for something grander, you know? Like, hmm, let's see, a gorgeous hotel room?"

Archie rolled his eyes. "Do you actually see the gods working? They just run a school. It won't bring in that much money, you know."

Atlanta crossed her arms. "You guys should stop complaining. It's great that Hera gave us a vacation."

"And that Jay allowed us to go on it," Archie muttered under his breath, earning a look from Jay that was less than friendly.

"Cronus is important," Jay started, but Theresa pulled on his arm to stop him.

"Why don't we go to our cabin already?" she said sweetly.

Jay scratched his head, blushing a little. "Oh. Yeah, sure."

The two of them walked ahead. Once they were out of earshot, Archie said with a smirk, "Thank Zeus that we have Theresa on our side."

Atlanta, Herry, Archie, Odie and Neil hurried a little to catch up with their leader and his girlfriend. Atlanta couldn't help but admire the scenery. It was snowing gently, and she loved the way her feet sunk in the soft snow underfoot and how white and pure the snow seemed. It reminded her of her home perfectly - the mountainous areas where she used to ski all the time.

She smiled wistfully, then glanced over at Archie and smiled. At least she had her own purple-haired dork.

They walked along the snowed pathways as they gazed at the cabins. They were all made of sturdy oak, pretty and looked like some fairytale cottage. As they continued in their search for their cabin, they were all quietly taking in the scenery, save for Neil who was quietly taking the view of himself in his mirror in.

Theresa silently slipped her hand in Jay's, feeling absolutely blissful. Admiring beautiful scenery with Jay was something she had longed for, and now the time had finally come, even though her friends were witnessing this as well.

Finally, Jay came upon their cabin. "We're here," he stated, pushing the key into the lock and turning.

Dusting off their shoes, the team stepped in. And when they did and they looked around, all of them were stunned.

"Oh my gosh!" Theresa yelled, looking on in awe. "This cabin is huge!"

Neil was the first to enter the hall. Walking down the hallway like examining a suspect, he looked into each of the rooms. There were seven in total, and each was spacious. The last one, however, made Neil grin with glee. Ducking into the room, he smiled as he saw the huge mirror that stood on one of the walls. He then peeped into the bathroom, noting that it was bigger than any of the other bathrooms.

Walking out of the room casually with excitement they never knew he had, he exclaimed, "This one's mine!"

Herry rolled his eyes, then his eyes came to lay on the refrigerator that stood in the kitchen. Realising that it looked pretty much big, he opened it and his jaw dropped. Each rack was ladled with tons of food, ranging from the simplest chocolates to the biggest meals. He was in food paradise.

And best of all, when he closed the fridge again, he realised that was a note tacked on the fridge door that said: All the food in this refrigerator has been fully paid for. Please feel free to consume any of the food.

Archie stalked down the hall next, looking into each of the rooms. Atlanta followed behind, peering into the rooms as well. Suddenly, Archie stopped in his tracks as he saw one of the rooms and he turned around hastily and strode back into the kitchen. He grabbed his luggage where Herry had left it and immediately rushed over to the room he'd last stopped at and plonked his luggage inside it, much to Atlanta's dismay.

"Hey! I wanted this room!" she said with an innocent-looking pout.

Archie smirked back. "Well, you can't have it."

Atlanta frowned, punched her not-exactly-boyfriend's arm lightly and strode to the window. It was made of glass and it was completely clear, enabling her to see everything outside. Blue drapes hung at both sides should the occupant require privacy.

"Why did you pick this room, anyway?" Atlanta questioned, deciding not to argue with Archie for the room.

Archie smiled softly and stepped next to her, looking out of the window as well. "This window has the best view," he stated plainly, eyes scanning the beautiful white snow that covered the land, as well as the tall, graceful pine trees that hovered just outside.

Atlanta grinned and poked him in the side gently. "Hmm, I didn't know you liked nature," she teased.

"Well, now you do," Archie responded lightly, and they grinned at each other.

Meanwhile, Theresa wandered down the hall as well, pulling Jay along with her. Smiling brilliantly at him, she asked, "What room do you want?"

Jay shrugged. "I don't know. I think I'll let you guys choose first and I'll take the last one. I don't really mind."

Odie and Herry joined Jay's side. "Come on, Jay, why don't you choose first? You're always giving way to us," Odie pointed out.

Jay blinked, then thought for a while after seeing each of the room. Standing in front of the first one on the left side closest to the kitchen, he smiled. "I'll pick this one," he decided, walking over to bring his luggage into the room.

Theresa turned to Odie and Herry. "You don't mind if I take the room beside his, do you?" she asked.

Both Odie and Herry shook their heads, and gave each other a knowing glance as Theresa went to drag her luggage into her room as well.

"Somehow, I think I want to have the room nearer to the kitchen," Herry said, eyes seeking approval from Odie.

Odie grinned. "Go ahead," he said, watching as Herry easily heaved his luggage to the first room at the right. "I guess that leaves me with the room opposite Neil's."

With that, he was the last one to drag his luggage to the room as Atlanta had already taken up another room.

After a bit of unpacking, the team emerged from their own personal bedrooms with a certain shine of happiness.

"We should really thank Hera for this cabin," Jay said, yawning. "Since we've had dinner at the airport earlier, why don't we have an early night?"

Atlanta protested, "But we haven't explored the place yet!"

Archie put a hand on her shoulder. "We can do that tomorrow, Lanta. Anyway, it's pretty dark now. Let's go sleep now."

"Oh, alright," Atlanta said reluctantly.

Jay turned off the kitchen lights and the whole team retreated to their bedrooms, slightly weary, and turned in for the night.

--

I've totally skipped their flight to the Grande Royal Hotel to save time and all, hope you guys don't mind and that this chapter is okay. Haha there's some JT and AA here, but there's more coming. And that mysterious blond woman... You'll hear more of her soon.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"I'm back," someone announced, making Cronus sit up straight. He saw the woman walk into the cave with a smirk on her face.

"Done so soon?" he said sarcastically, crossing his arms. "If I'm right, you haven't even destroyed _any_ of them."

"Oh, but I'm going to," replied the woman darkly, her eyes shining with a certain evilness. "See, I was just checking the stars just now."

"How useful."

"Oh, yes," affirmed the woman, walking towards Cronus. "I see the stars have said that today there will be an extreme blizzard. We can seize this opportunity to act."

Cronus yawned, looking bored. "Do you know this modern world has something called a weatherman? With their terrible sciences, they can predict the weather."

The blonde shrugged. "The stars have told me that this blizzard will be unprecedented by the humans of this world. Perhaps, Cronus, you don't dabble much with astrology?"

Cronus frowned at her imprudence and at her hint that he was less than smart. "I have better things to do," he grumbled in a low tone. "Anyway, how is that blizzard going to be of any use?"

The woman smiled cruelly, brushing a stray lock of her soft hair away from her face. "We can manipulate this blizzard to our liking. I'm going to separate the group, destroy all forms of communication and oh, this is _so_ not a challenge. I can't believe you couldn't do this yourself."

Cronus decided to ignore her last sentence. "Well, this is going to be fun to watch."

The woman nodded briefly. "It will be," she promised. With that, she turned on her heel and strolled out of the cave without so much as a goodbye.

--

Archie groaned, sitting up in his bed and rubbing his eyes ruefully. The bright, warm sunlight streamed through the glass window, casting a cheery atmosphere all around his room.

He sighed, realising he had forgot to draw the drapes the night before. Right now, he really didn't feel like going back to sleep though.

Clambering out of bed, he yawned and stretched. Changing out of his pyjamas into his winter wear, he stopped by the bedside table, smiling as he looked at a little box lying there, something he had left there the night before. He pocketed it after some thought. Then he ambled towards the kitchen and stopped at the window, smiling a little to see snow. It was relaxing to finally have a vacation, and in such a beautiful place as well.

Just then, he heard the doorbell ring. Raising his eyebrow, he stalked over to the door and opened it.

A beautiful blonde woman greeted him with a cheerful smile. She wore the normal hotel staff wear, with a cap pulled low over her eyes. "I have a delivery for a Theresa in your cabin."

"Oh, I see," Archie replied, eying the pot that she was holding a little suspiciously. "And that is...?"

"A pot of soup," said the blonde, smiling. "Someone ordered it for her."

"A pot of... soup?" Archie blinked. "Are you sure?"

"Oh, I'm sure," said the blonde politely. He saw the edges of her mouth curl into a sweet smile. "And yes, it was ordered that she be the only one who drinks of it."

Archie shivered a little at the cold draft blowing through the cabin and wondered how she could wear such minimal outer layers. He shrugged then finally said, "Alright, whatever, thanks."

He took the pot of soup from her and was about to leave when the woman stopped him.

"Is this yours?" she said curiously, holding up a box as Archie placed the hot soup onto the kitchen table.

Archie's eyes widened and he walked over to her side. "Oh, yeah, that's mine! Thanks." _It must have slipped out of my pocket just now._

He quickly pocketed it, and the lady watched him. "That's a box for a ring, isn't it? For a loved one, I suppose?"

Archie blushed and scratched his head sheepishly. "Uhm yeah, I guess you could say that."

"I suppose you are going to propose?" the hotel staff guessed slowly with a hint of teasing in her voice.

"No, nothing like that," Archie said quickly, blushing a little. "I've already confessed... But then we're not exactly going steady yet, I haven't asked her to become my - uhm - girlfriend. And I don't exactly know how to." He blinked at what he had just said. Weird how he had just blurted out his own personal business to a woman he didn't even know. Maybe it was because this lady seemed so nice and everything.

"You should ask her soon," advised the lady in the cheerful voice she always maintained. "The longer you wait, the more awkward it's going to be. If you've confessed, then it's probably no problem anymore. You have passed the major hurdle - confessing. If you've done that, then the rest is absolutely no biggie."

"Thanks," Archie replied. "You give pretty good advice. You sound like you speak from experience." He smirked a little.

The blonde bowed her head lower, much to his surprise. "Well, my experience has nothing to do with this," she said a little sharply. "I had this... this mean boyfriend who treated me like dirt, like I was just a pawn in his hand. No matter, though - I'm going to make sure he pays, and soon."

Archie shivered again, not from the cold this time, but by the dark and bitter tone of the woman's voice. "Sorry," he tried apologetically, rubbing the back of his neck ruefully. "I didn't mean to make you remember the worst."

"It's alright," the lady said cheerfully, her almost frightening demeanor vanishing without a trace. "Well, I should get going."

Archie saw her turn to leave and was about to close the door when the lady spoke her parting words.

"You should give that ring to your loved one soon, dear," she spoke, her voice dropping to a whisper. "_Before it's too late."_

By the time she uttered those words, Archie had already closed the door. He felt a shiver go down his spine; her voice had been chillingly haunting, nothing like the original bubbly her. He looked out of the window, wondering if she was still there.

But she was gone.


	4. Chapter 3

Bwahaha, come on guys, I'm not that random! Thanks for reviewing. Everything happens for a reason, _especially_ in fanfiction, and even _more_ so when _I'm_ in the author. Have some faith! Haha I was just kidding. Anyway, please do review, it'll be greatly appreciated!

**Chapter Three**

Theresa ambled out into the hallway, realising that the whole team had already awakened and were currently eating breakfast at that moment, even Neil. She yawned, feeling still feeling sleepy.

"Hey, Theresa, that pot over there is for you," Archie called out from the table, pointing a finger in the direction of the kitchen table.

Theresa raised a sleepy eyebrow and walked over to the table curiously. She pulled off the cling wrap that covered the top and peered inside curiously. "Soup?" she remarked, almost in disbelief. "And it's for me?"

"Yup," Archie said, his mouth full of cereal. "It was delivered early in the morning. Supposed to be for you only."

"Me only..." Theresa murmured, sniffing the contents a little suspiciously. It wasn't everyday that she got a pot of soup, and specially for her, too... In fact, she never had something as weird as that happen before.

What greeted her nose, however, was a delicious aroma that was nearly indescribeable. She looked at the soup, watching the little floating bits of chicken hover on the surface of the thick soup, and decided she would have it for breakfast anyway.

As she settled down into her seat, she grinned to see Herry sniff the air, his eyes widening as he looked over to where the delightful smell was emnating from.

"Theresa, could I have some?" he asked, spoon already in his hand.

Theresa grimaced a little. On normal occasions, she wouldn't have minded to comply, but then this was her breakfast, and if Herry actually got his hands on that pot, she wouldn't be surprised if even the pot would be swallowed as well. "Sorry, Herry, it's my breakfast," Theresa apologised.

Herry pouted. "Alright," he said, already making his way to the refrigerator for his third round.

"Who wants to go skiing later?" Atlanta said, pushing her chair back as she stood up excitedly. She picked up her cereal bowl and made her way to the kitchen sink to wash it.

"I'm in!" Archie replied immediately, one hand in his pocket nervously fingering the box that lay inside. _Maybe_, he thought, _the skiing time would be a good time to ask her._

"Me!" Theresa declared at the same time, smiling as she sipped her soup and sighed at the pure yummy taste of it all. She even had Odie looking hungry, though she didn't notice his near-drool reaction.

"I guess I don't mind tagging along," Jay said, leaning back in his chair after finishing up his toast.

"How about you, Herry? Odie? Neil?" Atlanta said, eager to loop more friends into skiing.

"Nah, I think I'll pass," Odie answered, patting his laptop affectionately, which was currently on the table and beside his plate of sausages.

"Mmmph, no thanks, Atlanta," Herry mumbled through mouthfuls of food, eyes not leaving his plate.

Atlanta rolled her eyes and directed her gaze to Neil as she put down her now sparkling clean cereal bowl, already knowing what the answer would be.

"No way I'm going, I might ruin my complexion," Neil replied, gazing into his mirror almost lovingly. He barely looked up at Atlanta.

"And how would skiing affect your complexion, I wonder?" Atlanta thought aloud sarcastically, putting her hands to her hips.

"The sun," Neil answered. For about the only time in his life, he tore his eyes away from his mirror and gave her a lazy smile. "I already have the perfect tan. If I over-tan, I'll -"

"Look like a chocolate chip cookie," Archie cut in, snickering as he stood to join Atlanta with his plate. "Don't worry, Neil, we understand your dilemma. It's a really hard choice, we know."

"Glad you do," Neil said, oblivious to the fact that Archie was mocking him, and he went back to his mirror-gazing.

--

"Yes! Finally! We're going skiing!" Atlanta yelled, opening the door and enjoying the cool breeze that swept in. She breathed in the fresh mountain air and tugged at her scarf. She was wearing her favourite white shirt, black ski pants and a thick, light blue sweater.

Archie pulled the collar of his thick blue jacket higher up his neck and shivered slightly. He was dressed in a pair of warm, khaki jeans, a long-sleeved, woolly shirt and the dark blue jacket. "Let's go," he said with a smile, patting his pocket once again to check if the ring was still there.

The two of them stepped out of the cabin, positively relishing in the beauty of the snow-capped mountains. Jay and Theresa followed just as excitedly.

"Wow!" Theresa could only say as she gazed out at the snow drifting down from above. It was peaceful and scenic, just as she thought it would look like in the morning. She didn't feel cold for her cashmere turtleneck, long, light brown, leather coat and her ski pants kept her snug and warm.

Jay glanced over at her, smiling. He, too, felt completely comfortable with the weather - after all, a pair of puffy jeans, a long-sleeved shirt and a black parka protected him from the cold. "Let's go rent skis now and - wait, did you guys take your PMRs along?"

Archie rolled his eyes and jabbed his finger at his backpack, while Atlanta nodded and pointed to her own backpack.

"I brought mine too," Theresa declared, pulling it out of her pocket. "Jay, stop worrying, Cronus isn't going to show up or something."

Jay frowned and opened his mouth to argue, then shut it. "Alright. Come on, let's go and ski."

--

Neil emerged from his bathroom after a long hour's worth of examining his face in the huge mirror and blinked at the nearly empty kitchen.

"Where's everyone?" he asked incredulously, eyes darting around.

"They left," Herry stated simply.

"What? When?" Neil said, crossing his arms crossly. "They didn't even say goodbye!"

"They left about half an hour ago, Neil," Odie replied, looking up from his laptop. "And they did say goodbye, only you were too wrapped up in yourself to bother."

Neil pouted a little, then thought for awhile. Suddenly, a wide smile spread across his face.

"How about we go take a look at the hotel lounge?"

Odie raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Neil shrugged, then continued brightly, "We can check out the hotel facilities and what they offer and everything! Hey, maybe they have some swimming pool around!"

"A swimming pool?" Odie snorted at the idea. "Why would you want to go swimming when this is a _ski_ resort?"

"Then are _you_ planning to stay all day in this cabin and play computer games?" Neil retorted, peeking at what Odie had been doing just a minute ago. "You could do that back at _home_, you know."

Herry nodded seriously. "We should go. I need to restock the refrigerator."

Odie grimaced, noticing the fridge was completely cleaned out, and just in one morning, too. "Oh well, since you guys are going and I've nothing better to do, I'll come."

He shut his laptop and carried it to his room. They all changed out of their casual wear into something warmer. Together, they left for the hotel lounge.

--

Alright, so this chapter was near-boring and it didn't answer any questions, but it was completely necessary as a transition. At least the next chapter won't be so drab and dreary as this one. I hope.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Four pairs of skis, please," Jay said politely, pulling out a wad of notes that had been given to him as holiday money by Hera for the group.

"Yeah, sure!" said the ski booth manager cheerfully, pulling four pairs of skis from the storage cabinet behind her.

Jay couldn't help but notice how pretty she was, though of course he was nowhere near interested. She seemed almost mysterious, with her pure blonde hair falling gracefully all over her pale face and a white hotel staff cap covering her eyes that he was sure were mesmerizing.

Just as he turned to leave, the blonde called out to him suddenly. "Excuse me, young man!"

Jay blinked and turned around, wondering why she called him back. "Yes?"

"You aren't allowed to bring your baggage in," she answered apologetically. "We are absolutely sorry, but you can't. However, we do have these wonderful, _free_ lockers that you can use." She gave him a wide grin, then pointed at a long row of metal lockers that rested a few steps away from her. Then she removed four keys from her keyholders and handed them to Jay. "Here are the keys."

"Thanks," Jay replied thankfully, smiling back to show he wasn't displeased. Turning and seeing his friends walk towards him, he shouted, "Hey, you guys have to put your bags in lockers!"

The three of them approached, each taking their own pair of skis to lighten Jay's load. Archie straightened from his slight slouch and questioned, "Says who?"

"Says that lady over here-" Jay started, then paused in astonishment as he realised the woman manning the counter was gone.

After looking around with a slight confused frown on his face, he remarked sheepishly, "I guess she's gone now."

Archie grabbed a key from Jay and started stalking over his locker and jamming his bag into it. "There, done," he proclaimed, shutting his locker and locking it.

Theresa, Atlanta and Jay followed suit after finding their own lockers, then they started moving towards the ski lifts, skis in hand.

Atlanta and Archie playfully ran ahead while Theresa and Jay lagged behind. Just at that moment, Jay froze.

"What's wrong?" Theresa asked, concerned, as she stared at her aghast boyfriend.

"I don't think Atlanta and Archie brought their PMRs! Did you?"

Theresa gave him a pointed look. "Of course I brought mine, it's in my pocket. Come on, Jay, you've got to lighten up. It's not like Cronus is hanging around somewhere here." (Little did she know.)

"But-" Jay protested, but was once again cut off.

"Jay, _chill_."

A sharp glare from her sent in his direction made him mumble weakly, "Alright, _fine_."

--

"Alright, let's go check out the facilities!" Neil cried out excitedly, keeping his mirror.

Herry grunted, holding the shopping bags that were piled high. It was probably a hint that he needed help for the stacked-high paper bags blocked his vision thoroughly, but Odie and Neil were either too ignorant or unwilling to lend a hand.

Odie sighed. "Can we go back now?" he almost begged, yawning. They had spent more than hour shopping for food and Herry had already eaten at least a quarter of it on his way back to the ground floor of the hotel.

"No, no!" Neil exclaimed, horrified. "How can you, Odie? There's so many cool, snazzy things up here."

"All I see is you dragging us on a spree that only you like," Odie grumbled under his breath, and Herry nodded in agreement (not that anyone could see that nod, that is).

"You're not supposed to be so self-centered, Odie," Neil huffed, crossing his arms.

Odie almost burst out laughing. _Pot calling the kettle black_, he thought. He, however, decided it was pointless to argue with Neil, so he finally said, "Alright, fine, a little exploration, here we go."

"Yes!" Neil grinned at his friends. "Let's get started with the - let's see, hmm - bar!"

"What's there to see in a bar?" Herry wondered aloud from behind the packages as he stumbled along with his friends, struggling with the countless bags.

--

Atlanta screamed in enjoyment as she whirred down the snowy peak, loving the thrill of the wind sweeping into her face, blowing at her hair wildly. The cool air stung her wide-open eyes, but the exhilarating feeling as she glided down gracefully was overpowering.

She tilted her head slightly to face Archie, who was doing pretty well for his first try at skiing. He met her gaze slowly, then he grinned at her.

"I'm catching up!" he yelled over the whoosh as they zipped down the hill.

"Not a chance!" she shouted back, laughing and almost losing her balance as she swerved to avoid a tree.

"Atlanta? I want to ask you something!" Archie yelled over the noise of the wind.

"Yeah?" she replied, raising her voice so she could be heard.

"You know, we haven't officially become an item, so I was wondering, would you like to, uhm, well, you know?"

"What?!" Atlanta kept her eyes trained in front of her lest she collide into something. Straining her ears, all she could hear though was a few garbled words over the roar of the wind.

"I said, we aren't - OUCH!"

Atlanta's eyes widened considerably as she dared to look behind. Archie was lying in the snow, rubbing his head ruefully and looking slightly dizzy. She gasped and stopped, immediately running back to ensure he was alright.

"Are you okay?" she asked, concerned, as she knelt down beside her friend.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," he said grouchily, glaring at the tree that he whacked into.

"So what were you saying just now?" Atlanta gave him a questioning look.

Archie blushed, realising her face was so near his that if he moved forward just a little, their noses would be touching. He bit his lip, then stammered awkwardly, "I - I was just saying that... That we aren't offically tog -"

Just then, the two felt something soft cover them, leaving both of them choking with the snow in their mouths. Theresa and Jay pulled up beside them, looking apologetic for covering them with snow as the force had made snow be thrown up into the two.

"Are you guys alright? We're really sorry." Theresa gently helped Atlanta dust off the snow from herself.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Atlanta said impatiently, pulling away to face Archie. "You were saying?"

Archie sagged lower, watching as Atlanta got up and stared at him, waiting for what he was going to say. "Nothing," he muttered. "Absolutely nothing."

Atlanta looked at him weirdly, then grabbed her skis, waiting for him to join her just as Theresa and Jay took off down the hill again after checking to see they were fine. He sighed, fingered the little box in his pocket and reluctantly went to join Atlanta.

--

The key turned in the lock and the locker door swung open to reveal Archie's backpack. Smiling coldly, the blond woman reached in and removed it, patting all the pockets of the bag until she felt an oblong object resting within one of the inner pockets. She unzipped the pocket and drew the oval item out.

"Have you found it?" Cronus growled impatiently, peering over the woman's shoulder at the PMR. He smiled in satisfaction and moved back to allow the blonde to open Atlanta's locker.

In a few minutes, the woman had found Atlanta's PMR as well and tossed both Archie's and Atlanta's to the ground, bringing her foot on top of them and crushing them into tiny pieces. She swept them to a pile of snow and began covering the broken bits.

Cronus watched silently as the woman put Atlanta's and Archie's bags back where she had found them, and so well too that they looked untouched. She then closed the lockers and locked them soundly, moving on to Jay's and Theresa's lockers.

"How do you know destroying their communication is of any use?" he asked, sounding bored as he looked on. "It's not going to defeat them."

"Yes, it won't," the lady agreed, brushing back a strand of loose hair. "But all these factors are going to add up to their defeat, Cronus. Do be patient." She smirked, bowing her head low as the god glared at her for her disrespect.

"You know, one day I won't be able to take your imprudence and then I will -" Cronus began angrily, but never got to finish his sentence.

"My dear Cronus, are you forgetting I am a goddess as well?" The woman turned to him, her eyes flashing furiously. "And if it weren't for my thoughts of revenge, I wouldn't be here helping you out."

"And you wouldn't even be here because I wouldn't have taken you out of your prison," retorted Cronus, crossing his arms. "Now get back to your work."

The woman simmered with anger, then rage faded from her cobalt blue eyes and it returned to its normal coldness. "Very well, Cronus," she replied, digging into Jay's bag.

Finally, she said with a bit of frustration underlying in her voice, "It seems the leader has brought his PMR along with him."

Cronus stood behind her, not knowing whether to gloat for hearing she had a glitch in her plan or being mad that the plan was going to fall through. Finally, he decided to choose the latter.

"And now what? The plan has failed!"

"The boy has not left his PMR behind. But no matter, we shall get along fine without destroying it." The woman straightened abruptly, shut Jay's locker and moved on to Theresa, of which she also found no PMR inside the teenager's bag.

"We do not need to remove all the PMRs from all of them, though it is best we should do so. Fortunately, it is not of extreme importance," stated the woman. Her lips curled eerily upwards in what could have been called a smile. "Soon, the soup is going to take effect. If it doesn't kill her, it will render her unable to ski anymore for the time being, and she will return to the cabin. Her boyfriend, of course, will be sure to follow."

"And? Where does the blizzard come in?" Cronus hovered uncertainly behind her, eying her suspiciously.

The woman sighed as though the whole idea was boring and uninteresting. "We attack," she said simply, giving him a hard, cold stare.

"I have to give it to you, you're very crafty," Cronus said, a subtle hint of admiration in his voice. "Maybe as good as me."

"There is no 'maybe', Cronus," replied the goddess. She laughed, cruelty tinging her tone. "I am."

With that, she moved away from Cronus, leaving the god to narrow his eyes at the woman he had brought out of Zeus' prison.

--

Alright, this is the end of the chapter! I would also like to ask of you to review if you read this story. Anonymous, signed-in, whatever, I don't mind, just so long as you review. I put in a lot of effort into this, planning it and researching for it, so I think it would be GREAT if you could drop me a few lines to let me know how I can improve the story. You have no idea how much reviews mean to me, yeah, so please do reivew!


	6. Chapter 5

****

Chapter Five

"Whoa, this bar is huge!" Odie couldn't help but to remark in pure amazement as he looked around at the hotel bar, wondering if it could even be considered a bar.

The bar was lavishly decorated, with a lush, beautiful carpet that stretched across the entire room, and all the furniture were, one could tell, of a superior brand. The bar was pretty crowded, full of the well-dressed men who probably occupied rooms in the hotel, and they were all chugging down wine in a civilised manner. At the middle stood a singer atop the stage.

Neil was busy rapping hard on the tables, trying to see if they were really sturdy, expensive oak, although no one could tell what he was doing and no one was sure how he could even tell. His eyebrows were furrowed together, as though he was thinking of ideas to criticise the hotel. Just then, he happened to look up and his eyes widened.

**"Sometimes I walk a little faster  
In the school hallway  
Just to get next to you  
Some days I spend a little extra  
Time in the morning  
Just to impress you**

**Guess you don't notice  
Guess you don't need to  
Sad you're not seein'  
What you're missin'  
on the outside shyin' away  
on the inside dyin' to say**

**I'm unusual  
Not so typical  
Way too smart to be  
Waitin' around  
Tai chi practicing  
Snowboard champion  
I could fix the flat on your car  
I might even be a rock star  
****  
I might even be a rock star!"**

The girl who was singing was probably no more than seventeen years old, and she had the most amazing voice he had ever heard. She was standing onstage without a single look of awkwardness or nervousness. No, she had absolute poise and confidence and she looked like she was really having the time of her life. He realised that she was actually relatively pretty - her hair was a pale yellow, long and impossibly straight, and her azure blue eyes sparkled with cheerfulness as she sang, her perfect lips moving to mouth the words in a way that could blow anyone away.

Neil blinked, almost starting to get fazed by her beauty, then turned away, uninterested. Although the singer was quite beautiful, he had seen better. And of course, no one could rival his beauty - ahem, good-looking-ness, if there was such a word to be known. He smiled contentedly and went back to tapping the wooden tables, causing annoyed glances to be thrown in his direction. Oblivious to the angry bubbling of the other spectators, he continued.

"Neil, hey, stop," Odie commanded, wincing as he tried to pull Neil back. "People are staring at you."

Neil flashed him a pearly white grin. "That's because I'm spectacularly awesome," he drawled, waving to his "fans", who were currently scowling at him.

Odie used whatever brute strength he had in him to drag him aside, while Herry ambled over comfortably with the paper bags.

"You know, she sings pretty good," Herry commented, setting down his food and standing guard over it - not that anyone would want to steal it.

"Yeah," Odie agreed, feeling a little stupid standing with a fashion model, who was admiring himself in his mirror and rapping a table with utmost concentration, and his beefy best friend, who wasn't exactly the most intelligent being in the world. While Odie wasn't trying to be mean, it was hard trying to talk to the both of them when they were interested in two completely different things.

"Uh-huh," Neil murmured, and glanced up for a second, hand still tapping the table as though he could well and truly tell it was true oak or not, something that he was fast giving up on finding out since it was nearly impossible.

Just then, to his surprise, the woman looked at him straight in the eye and gave him a subtle wink. Neil smiled, waving back. "Hey, I think she likes me!"

"You think _everyone_ likes you," Odie muttered slightly, making sure no one overhead what he had said. _Where is the down-to-the-earth Jay when I need him most?_

**"Sometimes I wish when  
the phone rings  
That it would be you  
Saying let's hang out  
Then you confess  
That there's something  
Special between us  
Why don't we find out **

**You don't even know me  
Guess you don't need me  
Why you're not seein'  
What you're missin'  
On the outside shyin' away  
On the inside dyin' to say**

**I'm unusual  
Not so typical  
Way too smart to be  
Waitin' around  
Tai chi practicing  
Snowboard champion  
I could fix the flat on your car  
I might even be a rock star**

**If you only knew the real me  
I might even be a rock star  
I'm telling you that we  
are meant to be  
Now wouldn't it be nice  
if you could see  
That I really am a rock star**

**I'm unusual  
Not so typical  
Way too smart to be  
Waitin' around  
Tai chi practicing  
Snowboard champion  
I could fix the flat on your car  
Rocking it where ever we are  
And I really am a rock star **

**YEAH YEAH YEAH!"**

The girl ended off perfectly, sounding like one of those professional singers. Everyone cheered loudly and clapped enthusiastically, smiling at her fabulous performance. Neil glanced up, still tapping the tables.

The girl simply leapt off the stage, scaring half of the middle-aged men who were seated in front, then she walked over to Neil, much to Odie's surprise.

"Here it comes - the cold shoulder," said Herry, grimacing as he faced Odie.

Odie grimaced and immediately felt sorry for the said girl.

"Hey, there," the singer started, looking absolutely hyped.

Neil lifted his gaze from the table, blinking then giving her a nod to acknowledge her presence, something that the singer gave him a queer gaze.

Odie and Herry, meanwhile, gave each other knowing looks. _Score: Neil, 1, unknown girl, 0._

"You know, I just came over here because I saw you tapping the tables," the girl said, rolling her eyes at Neil. "Yes, they're made of pure, genuine oak." Her voice was laced with sarcasm.

Neil didn't notice it, however, and he gazed at her with newfound awe and surprise. "Hey, how did you know I was -"

"Let's just say you're not the only nutso to come around tapping our tables like that," replied the girl with a smirk.

"Oh, I see - Wait. _What_?! I'm not a nutso," Neil declared pointedly, looking annoyed as he gave the girl one of his supposedly scary glares.

The girl merely laughed. "Whatever you say," she answered humorously and shrugged. She held out her hand to Neil. "By the way, the name's Lyrea. I'm the hotel owner's daughter, and I love to sing, so I don't mind singing on the stage there everyday. Haha, it's enjoyable, really. You are?"

Odie cut in suddenly. "No, don't let him get started!" he almost yelled, eliciting a few weird stares in his direction, but it was too late.

Neil puffed his chest up in pride, a broad grin on his face. "I'm Neil, you see, I'm a model."

"Ah, that explains the ego," Lyrea drawled wisely, giving Odie and Herry a look as though she was trying to say, "You should have stopped me earlier."

"I'm on every single advertisement back at New Olympia, yeah," Neil continued, beaming. "Ever since I was a wee tyke, I knew I was destined for stardom. I mean, not every kid can become a star-studded model like I am, and I've the looks and the brains to carry it off. One day, I was spotted for my talent when I was walking down the streets. That guy, he really recognises talent. Anyway, back to me - he asked me if I would like to journey on a career of modelling, of which I immediately responded coolly with a yes. I don't know what took him so long to find me, but at least he did, if not he would be missing out on a rare talent like me. I started earning big bucks and appearing on more and more advertisements, and I gained countless of fans who would swoon just at my name. Yes, and -"

Lyrea yawned, giving him a bored look. "Are you done now?"

Neil gave her a look of horror. "Of course not! Okay, so where was I? Oh yes, I even starred as a tree in my school production! Don't belittle such a role; the tree was a great prop in the stage. Without it, the show would be nothing. The scenery would look horribly weird with one less tree, wouldn't it?" He didn't wait for an answer and continued on. "Of course it would look awesomely ugly. And you see, they made the perfect choice into casting me as a tree. I mean, I played the absolute perfect tree! I was still, silent and I didn't sneeze like all the other trees did. Due to the prolonged time in the dusty suits and their inability to have the finesse in acting, they actually _sneezed_. I mean, it totally ruined the play! How _could_ they? Yet I stood there as silently as the best tree ever, and after that, the play went on to participate in a worldwide competition, of which it cinched first place!"

"Is there anything you like to talk about other than yourself?" Lyrea gave him a strange look as she leaned back onto the oak table, closing her eyes at the lengthy speech he was giving her.

Now it was Neil's turn to stare at her. "Why would I, there's nothing better than a deep, personal, one-on-one with Neil about his own life!" He waggled his eyebrows; to achieve what effect, nobody knew, but Lyrea immediately burst out laughing.

"You know, you're funny," she admitted, knowing she was going to send his ego into overdrive but still said so anyway.

"Of course I am, I'm the centre of attention, the pillar of humour and the best one to come to for a good laugh!" Neil proclaimed proudly.

Odie stepped back and held his hands up. "You know what guys, I think, I'll uhm go head to the restroom." With that, he rushed off to possibly escape Neil's incessant boasting.

Herry had to put up with it, though, as he couldn't lug all the food into the toilet without fearing that the hygiene of the food would be greatly threatened. Eye twitching a little from non-stop exposure to the pureness of Neil's ego, he tried to fight sleep that was curling around him like it was enticingly tugging him into the realm of dreams.

"And once, when I was doing this photo-shoot, I accidentally dropped my pants (A/N: as mentioned in A Random Christmas Story)..." Neil was still saying, probably trying to show off his humorous side as Herry zoned out and fell asleep.

--

Theresa screamed, both frightened and feeling exhilarated as she flew down the snowy peak, laughing as she watched Jay swerve to narrowly miss hitting a tree.

Jay followed behind her. He initially wanted to glare at her, but he couldn't help but smile as she turned her face towards him, grinning her full-fledged best. So she had the ability to make him break into a grin all the time. She was just so loveable that he found himself compelled to cheer up whenever she was around.

"You know, you're really bad at skiing-" Theresa yelled, then suddenly paused as a sense of pain stabbed her lower abdomen. Her eyes grew wide with fear as she crunched up her eyes, gasping at the severe pain that had suddenly seized her stomach.

"Theresa, are you okay?" Jay shouted to be heard, shooting concerned looks in her direction, aware that she seemed to be in pain. Suddenly, he turned his head and saw a rock slightly further ahead.

"Theresa, there's a rock in front of you!"

Theresa glanced up, seeing the huge rock that lay ahead of her and gasped, still zigzagging slightly at the control she couldn't exert over her skis due to the brain-numbing pain. Next thing she knew, she was soaring through the air - in a bad way. She let out a bloodcurdling scream and crashed right into the soft bed of snow, a ski poking gently at her side.

"Theresa!" Jay quickly halted right beside her and ditched his skis, dropping to his knees. "Are you okay?!"

Theresa managed a wry grin as she grasped his hand for support. "Yeah, I think so," she said dryly, getting up with the help of Jay. "Surprisingly, I didn't even sprain my ankle. Ouch, but my stomach hurts - bad."

"Maybe we should return to the cabin," Jay said half-heartedly, holding her close to him as though she had just been in a life-and-death situation.

He was expecting her, after all, to say she was quite fine and that she would be okay to ski some more, but he got a lot more worried when she said seriously, "You're right, I think I should."

"I'll go with you," Jay volunteered, and she smiled a little tearfully at him as a sign of thanks, clutching her stomach all the while.

Just then, Archie and Atlanta, who were coursing down the hill like a pair of bullets, saw the both of them standing at one side and stopped immediately.

"What happened, one of you finally fell?" Atlanta teased, smiling at the both of them.

"Or you wanted to stop to have a moment?" Archie followed up, smirking at the two.

"No, Theresa has a really bad stomachache and she wants to go back to the cabin," Jay told them with much seriousness. "And I'm going back with her."

Atlanta frowned in concern and walked over to Theresa's side, realising she was very much in pain.

"Okay, why don't the both of you go first," Archie suggested, secretly also worried for the Drama Queen, although he never really did show it obviously. "And we'll join you half an hour later, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Theresa grinded out with gritted teeth at the pain her stomach was insistently putting her through. "You guys don't mind me, carry on..."

"You sure?" Atlanta asked, hazel eyes clearly showing her worry for her best friend.

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead," Theresa said quickly, not wanting to destroy the moment between Archie and Atlanta.

With a hesitant look, both Archie and Atlanta set down the hill, with Atlanta shouting a cry of "Take care!"

Theresa gave Jay a weak smile and staggered forward unsteadily, gripping his hand for support. The pain was overwhelming her till she almost fell from the searing feeling ripping through her continually.

Just then, she felt an arm close around her legs and she was soundly lifted off the ground. With a surprised 'oof', she found herself in Jay's arms as he started walking back hastily but carefully to the cabin.

She gently smiled, laid her head in his comfortable chest and, half of the pain forgotten, she tried to ignore the other half left as they both of them made their way to the faraway cabin.

--

Okay, end of this chapter, sorry I took so long to update. Thank you all for reviewing and please do continue to review! Oh and the song is **Rock Star** by **Hannah Montana**; I don't claim to own it! Lyrea's going to play a huge major role in this fic, yeah, so stay tuned! And yes, she's a blonde.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"Are you feeling better?" Jay asked, concerned, as he watched his girlfriend emerge from the toilet.

She nodded, smiled and squeezed her eyes shut as she slipped into the seat beside him. "I don't know why it was so painful just now. It was worse than what I've ever had before."

"Maybe you've had food poisoning?" Jay suggested, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I don't think so," Theresa said, her eyebrows knitted together slightly in confusion. "I mean, it was resolved by just one trip to the toilet." She flashed Jay a weak smile. "And usually when you get food poisoning, you need to keep dashing off to - uh - relieve yourself, you know?"

Jay shrugged. "Maybe it was a light case?"

"I hope so," Theresa replied, wincing as she recalled the intense pain she had been put through.

"What should we do now?" Jay wondered aloud. He gave her a sheepish smile. "Actually, I feel too lazy to return to the ski slopes."

Theresa grinned, a light bulb going off in her head. "How about we use Neil's spa?"

"Huh?" Jay's immediate reaction was a blush.

"Look, you see, I've got a peek at Neil's bathroom, and I saw he has this huge spa inside that could easily fit all seven of us! It's no wonder he wanted the room."

"But... Are you sure we should use Neil's bathroom without his permission... I mean, it's still his stuff..." Jay said hesitantly.

"Come on, Jay! Please?" Theresa pleaded, giving him the infamous puppy-dog look as always and making him squirm a little.

"Oh, alright." Jay finally gave in. Then the blush returned to his face. "Uhm, we... We _are_ going to wea- What do we wear?"

"Your swimsuit," Theresa started, then suddenly realised why he was blushing. She hadn't stated a dress code of some sort, so he probably thought that... that... A hot red stained her cheeks too, and she scratched her head, willing it to go away. "You did bring one, right?"

"Yeah, I did," Jay answered, looking a lot more relieved than a few seconds ago.

"Okay! Let's spa!" Theresa cheered, flashing Jay a winning smile to erase all remaining doubts should there be any.

--

"You tired?" Archie asked, leaning onto the pine tree.

The both of them had actually decided to take a break and relax under a tree, hoping that no one would go by and spoil the moment.

"Tired? Not a chance!" Atlanta retorted, then got up in a flash. "Let's go ski again!"

Archie rolled his eyes and yanked her down again from his sitting position. "No, not now. Let's spend a little more time here."

"Why? You're tired, aren't you?" Atlanta smirked knowingly, and Archie couldn't help but roll his eyes again.

"No, it's not that," Archie replied slowly, gazing out at the region of snow-capped mountains and sighed, breathing in the fresh mountain air. "It's sometimes nice just to pause and enjoy the scenery."

Atlanta's smirk faded a little, and was replaced with a rather gentle smile. "Yeah, you're right," Atlanta agreed, settling down beside him. She shivered slightly. "Do you feel it's getting kind of chilly?"

Archie pursued his lips thoughtfully. "Yeah," he said after a while. "Just that I didn't notice it. It's not too cold for you, is it?"

"Nah, it's alright." Atlanta sighed comfortably. "But it seems everyone's left. I haven't seen someone ski past for about since Theresa left. Speaking of Theresa, I hope she's okay. She looked like she was in a lot of pain."

"She's the drama queen," Archie said lightly, trying to lessen Atlanta's worry for her friend. "You know her. She could be exaggerating it a trifle bit so she could get Jay to carry her."

"You always seem to think negatively of the two of them," Atlanta teased, punching his arm softly. "Did it ever occur to you that Theresa's my other best friend?"

Archie didn't answer, and comfortable silence lapsed.

"You know, Atlanta, can I ask you something?" Archie finally said, his eyes still were fixed on far away, although Atlanta turned to gaze at him curiously.

"Yeah, what is it, Archie?"

"You know, I was wondering, what if one day, I died, would you regret that we never officially got toget-"

"What? _Die_?!" Atlanta screeched, her eyes growing wide. She glared at him angrily. "Gosh, Archie, don't say such things! Touch wood!" She immediately reached out and started hitting the pine tree a little too violently, and suddenly they were covered by snow from above.

"Alright, alright!" Archie sputtered, brushing snow out of his face. He grabbed a handful of snow and chucked it at Atlanta, who was pretty much white now. "That's retribution for making the snow fall all on me!"

In response, Atlanta merely silently bent down, made a snowball with surprising quickness and aimed it accurately, hitting Archie smack in the face.

"This is war!" Archie leapt up, and, grabbing the pine tree, shook it harder. Then he ducked out of the way while Atlanta was once again fully doused with snow.

"You... You!" Atlanta cried, then she tackled him. Both of them hit the ground painfully, although the snow did offer a little bit of cushioning.

Laughing playfully and choking at the snow swallowed, the two rolled about in the snow, and for Archie, the ring was promptly forgotten.

--

"Hurry along, now," urged the blond staff lady at the counter as she watched the people who had rented skis file out of the hilly region. "There's going to be a blizzard soon, so you need to vacate the area. We apologize for the inconvenience."

"Miss, I think there's still two people left back there," said a young, black-haired teenager, looking in the direction of one of the hills. If one looked closely, they would be able to see the two small dots rolling around in the snow.

"Where?" the blond lady asked patiently.

"There, you see?" replied the guy, gesturing at the hill. "Do you want me to fetch them-"

"No, that'll be alright. I'll go get them... Personally. It's alright, you don't need to worry." The blond lady flashed him a pearly white smile.

"Alright then," the young man said reluctantly, glancing over at his two friends who had accompanied him. "We'll be going then."

As the woman watched the last of them leave, she smiled wickedly. "You know, I don't think I'll get them. I'll let Thanatos fetch them when they're ready," she whispered coldly and she reached out to the close the gates. "Now all I have to do is wait a while longer. The blizzard is approaching, and my plan is going all too well."

--

"When did you first get interested in singing?" asked Neil rather interestedly.

Lyrea thought for awhile. "When I was two, I think I got addicted to music," she said, beaming.

Herry yawned just as Odie returned from his suspiciously-long toilet break.

"Wait, am I dreaming?" Odie questioned incredulously, sitting beside Lyrea. "He's actually letting you talk?"

"Yeah," Lyrea responded, rolling her eyes playfully. "By the way, you are...?"

"Odie," he said, grinning. "Guess I went to the toilet before I got to introduce myself." He decided to leave out the reason why it was so "urgent".

"Oh, okay, back to me," Neil began, leaning on the table, eyes gleaming excitedly to get a chance to tell his tale. "You know, when_ I_ was two, I-"

"I knew it couldn't last for long," Odie said triumphantly. Lyrea gave him a sideways glance and nodded seriously in response, as did Herry.

"Anyway, I -"

Suddenly, a high-pitched scream echoed in the air, as did many others, and heavy, rushed footfalls sounded through the entire ground floor of the hotel nosily, like everyone was running at the same time _and_ screaming. Neil, Lyrea, Herry and Odie went to check it out, and all of their jaws dropped soundlessly.

It was a mess outside the bar. People were shrieking at the top of their voices, disrupting the peaceful atmosphere that had cloaked the hotel, and practically everyone was rushing towards the nearest exit.

"What's their problem?" Neil said irrately, turning to Odie. "You'd think Cronus just showed or something."

"Who's Cronus?" asked Lyrea, blinking in confusion. "Wait, Cronus, the God of Time for the Greek Gods?"

"How is it _everyone_ knows who Cronus is?" Odie huffed a little and grimaced.

"Dunno," mumbled Herry, biting into the bun he had bought at the bar like there was no tomorrow.

"Ah, there you are, my young heroes," a familiar voice sounded.

Herry almost choked on his bun. Shoving the rest of it in his mouth, he asked angrily, "Wart farf kir dainig naar?"

"What?" Cronus stood before them, the look of evilness replaced with confusion. His normal giants stood behind him, one of them being Agnon.

Herry swallowed the bun hastily. "I said, what are _you_ doing here?" he shouted at the god.

Cronus covered his ears at the supposedly offensive noise. "Oh, I'm sure you're glad to see me." He pointed at them. "Giants, attack."

Herry braced himself as Agnon came charging straight at him. Bending down low, he waited till the beefy giant came near and let his fist fly furiously. Just one punch sent the big giant staggering back unsteadily, and the next one sent him crashing into a wall.

Odie winced as the other giant approached him menacingly. "Don't come any closer," he warned shakily, holding out his PMR. "Or I'll attack."

The giant merely gave out an amused grunt and continued advancing.

"Alright, you asked for it," Odie said, then pressing a button, he zapped the giant with a strong electrical current that made the giant howl with pain and clutch his hand with obvious pain.

Meanwhile, the third giant was barreling towards Neil at breakneck speed, and the blonde gulped nervously. "Calm down, maybe we can talk this over." Seeing the enraged look the giant's face held, he said sheepishly, "Alright, maybe not."

Just as the giant reached him, he stepped away, and the giant crashed right into the wall, making part of it crumble and fall onto his head.

"Now come on, that's just plain stupid," Neil chided, kicking the giant's body, of which he heard a groan emnate from. He was about to smile in satisfaction when he heard another scream.

Lyrea gasped as she found her feet leaving the ground. She was being picked up by the giant! Screaming wildly, she struggled vainly. The huge, lumbering giant smirked at her. She didn't know how to fight at all, so her weak kicks were mostly useless.

"You fool, that girl isn't one of the chosen ones!" Cronus bellowed impatiently, gesturing at the unbeaten heroes. "Get _them_, not her!"

The giant grunted in embarrassment, then dropped Lyrea casually on the ground.

"Ouch!" Falling onto the ground was much more painful than she had initially thought, and she was left groaning with a hurting back. Forcing herself to get up and take shelter, she ran over to one of the personnel rooms and ducked inside, leaving the door slightly open. She knew it was a stupid thing to do, letting herself risk danger again, but she couldn't let these people destroy her father's hotel.

Those giants that had fallen rose up again, angrier than ever, but this time they seemed to somehow reach an understanding between each other by just looking at each other. They regrouped, and all of them charged at Herry, who couldn't battle all of them at the same time, leaving the rather helpless Neil and Odie to stand by futilely trying to stop the giants.

Herry realised a split second later that he was actually flying, and the next moment, he heard an audible crack and realised he had hit the unusually hard walls of the hotel. He slumped down, slipping into unconsciousness, much to Neil's and Odie's dismay.

The giants turned on Neil and Odie, cracking their knuckles in anticipation. With merely one punch, Odie was out like a light, and was dragged away to where Herry now lay. Neil didn't even dare imagine whether they were still breathing or not. He wanted desperately to go to their aid, but right now, he was in a precarious situation.

Cronus, meanwhile, was grabbing the PMRs from the teenagers' pockets, and, throwing them to the ground, smashed them in one fell swoop. "There goes your tracking devices," he declared coldly, gazing at Neil, who was backing away slowly.

His luck had ran out; the giant grabbed his leg though he tried to dodge, and swung him around at full force and let go. Neil saw everything go whizzing past him, and a vague feeling of nausea enveloped him, but the solid, rock-hard connection with his head and the wall made him forget about throwing up and made him instead see stars. Within seconds, everything around him went black.

--

Here's where the real trouble begins. Okay, sorry I took so long to update, please review and make this author happy because she's moving house tomorrow and she feels so sad at the change! Haha.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Archie gazed up at the sky, shivering a little. Thick snow was falling all around them. The earlier fresh fall of snow had been light and beautiful, but now it seemed a little on the ferocious side. The temperature felt like it had dropped as well.

"You know, maybe we should go back," Archie suggested, tugging on Atlanta's coat sleeve.

"Why? You cold?" Atlanta shot back teasingly despite the fact she was shivering too.

"N-no." Archie paused for a while. He didn't want to admit he was cold, so he came up with the next best excuse. "We told Theresa and Jay that we would go back in, what, 30 minutes' time? Yeah, we're already 5 minutes late."

Atlanta rolled her eyes. Gazing at her skis, she sighed reluctantly. "Alright, alright, cold boy, let's go."

They strolled to the ski lift amidst Archie's protests that he wasn't cold. Waiting for one ski lift to come by, they quickly hopped onto it. Archie could barely keep his teeth from chattering. Atlanta, however, was slightly more adjusted to cold mountain temperatures, but she still found it absurdly cold.

"You know, it almost feels like there's a blizzard coming," she muttered.

"What?! A blizzard?!" Archie's eyes shot wide. He glanced around both sides of the metal ski lift agitatedly. Looking down wasn't such a good idea after he tried it. "Why didn't you say so earlier? You know, if we get caught here in the middle of a blizzard, we'll..."

"Chillax, Archie," Atlanta said with a grin. "Someone would have gone to chase us out of the mountains, alright? But nobody did, so it should be okay. Probably everyone thought it was getting too cold for comfort, like this purple-haired chicken beside me thinks."

"Me? Chicken? No! I'm just being practical here, 'Lanta!" Archie crossed his arms and glared at her. "A blizzard isn't some light thing!"

"There _won't_ be a blizzard!" Atlanta shot back impatiently. "Don't be such a worrywart, Arch!"

"Look at the sky!"

"We're _in_ the sky!"

"Okay, okay, fine." Archie gave a rather adorable pout and looked down again uneasily. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Atlanta, I think there's something _really_ wrong."

"What now, Archie?" Atlanta snapped irrately, annoyed by Archie's ceaseless worrying. "You suddenly got suicidal thoughts and you're thinking of jumping off this ski lift now?"

"No, look at the road!" Archie silently pointed, and Atlanta gasped.

The road below them didn't look so good. It was completely covered with snow, and only some tiny bit of asphalt grey remained. A car was wedged in the snow, its hood nearly covered.

"Okay, maybe there _is_ something wrong," Atlanta finally acknowledged, swallowing nervously.

A strong breeze sent the ski lift rattling. The both of them clung tightly to the metal bars, fingers white under the gloves.

"Alright, I think there's a blizzard coming." Atlanta looked relatively edgy. She glanced up at the sky as the ski lift shook again like fragile glass. "Never mind, at least we're almost halfway there. It should be okay."

"Okay?!" Archie grimaced. "We are here, up in the _sky_, and a blizzard is coming! And, according to you, we are _okay_!"

"Well, yeah! We should be down there safely before the whole thing hits badly!" Atlanta gave him a weak grin. "At least, I hope."

"What if this thing stops?"

"It won't, Archie! You're being so chicken today!"

"Well, no! It's just that..." Archie hesitated. The metallic grey eyes looked downcast for a mere second, then they looked away. "My parents died in a blizzard."

"Oh." Atlanta cringed, feeling bad immediately. He had told them before that he was an orphan (A/N: See **A Random Christmas Story**, the prequel), but she'd never known that his parents had died in a blizzard. "I... I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Archie replied quietly. For once, he seemed so much less like the macho-pretending Archie she knew, as though she got to see a little deeper into who he was.

A short jerk startled the both of them.

"What was that?!" Atlanta yelled, gripping the bar again.

Another short jerk and the ski lift stopped, leaving them in the middle of nowhere.

"Alright, is it just me, or has this thing stopped?" Archie looked paler than he normally was. He quickly shot a look down. "This is weird. I can't see the road anymore, or anything for that matter."

"It's a blizzard, Archie. The visibility will be low, remember? And we're stuck in the sky in the mountainy region, so that means..." Atlanta sounded a little panicky already.

"PMR!" Archie shouted incoherently. With a dazed smile, he started digging in his pockets. His fingers grazed the ring box, then moved on in search of the suddenly-all-important PMR. That dazed smile faded and it dawned on him.

"I left it in my bag."

"So did I."

The both of them stared at each other.

"HELP!!"

--

_Their screams of help sound like mere whispers in the wind_, the goddess noted with satisfaction. Her hand paused for a second on the ski lift controls, something which could be called hesitation.

"They're innocent," her voice of reason rang clearly through her head. And she knew it.

Then she brushed it away with a cruel mental sweep. "Zeus was wrong to do something like that, and he has to pay for it."

She laughed cruelly as she gazed at the ski lifts dangling precariously in the air. Turning around, she left to return to the cave where her new captives, she was sure, would be already.

--

"Ah, this is the life," Theresa said, sighing contentedly and sinking deeper into the water.

"Yeah, it is," Jay admitted, surprised he wasn't feeling guilty for using the spa without Neil's permission. He put an arm around Theresa comfortably.

He turned to gaze at those dazzling emerald orbs he had loved since first sight. They were so mesmerizing that he couldn't even put words to it, and for about the thousandth time he found himself lost in the green of her eyes.

The both of them found each other inexplicably drawn to one another. Faces closing in without them noticing, and they almost kissed when Theresa gasped.

A blurry blue cloaked her vision and she found herself in snow. Eyes wide with shock, she saw Archie and Atlanta sitting in a ski lift as it jerked back and forth. They were screaming wildly, then seemed subdued, as though they had given up. As fast as the vision had come, it left her.

She was mometarily breathless like always. "Jay, I had a vision and I saw Archie and Atlanta in danger!"

"Where?" Jay immediately reacted, grabbing his PMR that he had left at the side of the bath. "I'll call them!"

"I... I don't know!" Theresa started getting out of the tub. She grabbed her clothes that lay nearby. "I saw them screaming on the ski lift and then... Nothing!"

Jay dialed their number, but it yielded no results. Even the GPS on them wasn't working. "Their PMRs aren't working!"

"I'll call Odie. You call Herry." Theresa picked up her own PMR.

For a while, there was silence. They waited for someone to pick up, but nobody did.

"Neil. I'm calling Neil." Theresa tried Neil too, but to no avail.

"This isn't good!" Jay too clambered out of the bath and grabbed his clothes. "Let's go find them. Theresa, you change in your room. I'll change here."

Theresa nodded and, in a flash, she was outside. The door closed behind her.

About only a minute later, the both of them were fully dressed. Rushing to the door, Theresa gasped again just before she opened it.

"Jay, look."

Jay looked and his jaw dropped.

Theresa gnawed at her lip anxiously. "A blizzard. What should we do?"

A look of determination passed on Jay's face, and he reached towards the doorknob. "I'm going after them. You stay here."

"No!" Theresa yelled and grabbed his hand. "If you go, you won't make it, Jay. We can only stay here and pray the others are alright."

"Alright? _Alright_?! Of _course_ they won't be alright!" Jay shouted back. Desperation tinged his voice. "I can't let them stay out there!"

Theresa looked down on the floor. "But we have no choice, Jay. I can't lose you, too." Her voice went barely audible.

Jay's shoulders drooped. He knew she was right, but he didn't want to accept it that he might have lost about all of his friends except her. "I know, but they're out there... I - we - can't lose them either."

They both looked at each other, eyes sparkling with fresh tears that went unnoticed.

--

Alright, sorry I took so long to get done with this! Exams have just passed and all. Yes. By the way, someone asked if my name has something to do with Dreamweaver, a COTT episode. The answer is actually no! I've had this name for about two to three years, so it's entirely original. But I was amused and honoured to see I had my nickname in a COTT episode title, yes I was.

I'm sure you have a lot of questions now. Where's Neil and the rest? What's going to happen? I guess you're going to have to wait and see. Please do review, it would really make my day!


	9. Chapter 8

Hello again, thank you all for reviewing! **Lady in Red**, don't worry, I know you've been reviewing me lots recently, and I thank you for that. Oh, and since I've been giving a lot of hints about this blond goddess, I'm just wondering if anyone has guessed who she is? She exists as a real Greek goddess, yes. Oh well, it's not that easy anyway. I've already been thinking of a sequel to this fic, I wonder if you guys would like one? Haha anyway back to the story. Let's begin.

**Chapter Eight**

"Urgh..."

The pain was overbearing and his world was spinning. Neil forced open his eyes as he took in his surroundings. A classy wooden oak table, a huge mirror, a flat-screen television... Neil blinked, looking at what he was lying on.

"A bed?" he wondered aloud. "Why am I on a bed when I'm supposed to be fighting Cronus and... Oh my gosh, Cronus!" He sat up straight immediately.

"Hey, you feeling better now?" a concerned voice piped up from behind him.

At that moment, Lyrea entered his view, looking worried.

"Where am I? Where's Cronus?" Neil murmured groggily, rubbing his head ruefully.

"You're in one of the hotel rooms. And if you're talking about the man in the black suit, then he's gone," Lyrea answered. She handed over the warm mug of coffee to him, of which he sipped gratefully.

"Urgh... My head feels like a piece of branded mirror shattering into a million pieces..." Neil groaned, squeezing his eyes shut tightly.

Lyrea gave him a weird look and a raised eyebrow. "Well, anyway, just now, this - what did you call him? - Cronus dude took away the other two guys. Herry and Odie, yeah. You fell right next to where I was hiding, so I grabbed you and escaped into one of the hotel's secret tunnels."

"Tunnels?" Neil stared at her. "The hotel has tunnels?"

Lyrea nodded. "Yeah. Since I'm the manager's daughter, I know all the hidden places here."

Neil shrugged. Suddenly, as though he remembered something, he raised his hand to his face. The startling shriek made Lyrea almost jump out of her skin.

"What is it?"

"My nails! I was hoping to make them shiny enough one day so I could see my reflection in them, but now they're ruined! I broke a nail! NO!" Neil wailed, wringing his hands in despair.

Lyrea only rolled her eyes.

"Wait, that aside, where's Odie and Herry?" Neil asked.

Lyrea paused and bit her lip. "I - I don't know. Cronus asked those gigantic people to haul them away. They tried to find you, and I barely escaped them."

"Oh nooo..." Neil sighed, getting off the bed. "I have to find them. I need to find Jay!"

"What? I don't think you're in any condition to go find anyone," Lyrea pointed out steadily.

Neil gritted his teeth as he tore off the bandage from his forehead in a sort-of heroic style. "My friends are in danger, you know!"

"You're kidding, right?" Lyrea gave him an incredulous look. Funnily so, he didn't seem so self-centered and just the typical funny guy anymore. He actually cared for his friends? It was a question that stuck in Lyrea's head as she tossed her long blond hair over her shoulder.

"Noo, obviously not." Neil grimaced as he looked at his nails again. "But I _so_ need to fix my nails after this."

Lyrea grabbed his arm. "You can't go out now anyway, there's a blizzard outside!"

"Yeah but look, they're going to freeze out there if I don't help!" Neil cried, yanking his arm away from Lyrea. An agitated look graced his face.

Lyrea paused. "Wait... I have an idea..." She hesitated, curling a lock of her hair as she thought. "No, but it's too... I can't let you do that..."

"What? You have an idea?" Neil looked exuberant. "Well, come on! Tell me! Anything to save my hair from frostbite!"

"But it's a secret." Lyrea frowned.

"So?" Neil leaned forward till his face was merely centimetres away from her. "People's lives are at stake. Rather, my friends."

Those big blue eyes were so desperately pleading her. Gone was the sparkling ego shining in his eyes now. It had been replaced by a glazed concern. Suddenly, his face seemed so close - too close. They both blushed, moving away.

Neil cleared his throat. He took out his mirror for a quick look, trying to figure out what in the world had just happened there. "So, you're saying yes right?"

Lyrea sighed in exasperation. "Yeah, yeah, alright." Secretly, she was questioning herself why she had even blushed in the first place. "There are some hidden tunnels, as I said, that lead around this hotel and its premises."

Neil thought for a while. "I don't know what are Herry and Odie's location... But I do know where Atlanta and Archie are! At the ski slopes!" His eyes widened at the thought of what could happen if the two were trapped in the mountains.

"Who's Archie and Atlanta?" Lyrea questioned curiously.

"No time for that!" Neil declared dramatically. "We've got people to save, tunnels to run through and nails to polish!"

With that, he grabbed Lyrea's hand and they rushed out of the hotel room.

--

The howling wind did nothing to allay their fears as Archie and Atlanta hung on for dear life. They both were silent, as though they each had accepted their fate, and that there was going to be nothing that they could change it.

"Archie?" Atlanta yelled over the roar of the wind.

"Yeah?" he responded loudly to be heard.

"Did you ever feel scared before?" Atlanta's voice was soft, but surprisingly he could actually hear her.

"Well, yeah I guess."

"Is it wrong to be scared?" Atlanta shut her eyes tightly. "Because, well..." She smiled sheepishly. "I feel really scared now."

"Nah, I don't think it's wrong." Archie smiled gently.

His heart sank as he realised it soon wouldn't just be his fingers that were frozen. Soon, he'd be frozen to _death_. Regret surged through him. He never had the time to do so many things. He never got to tell Jay he was paranoid but still a good friend cum leader, or that no matter how Drama-Queen-ish Theresa was, she was still a great teammate and all. Not to mention getting together with Atlanta.

"Hey, Archie, when did you get scared?"

Archie cocked his head to one side, almost forgetting the harsh winds attacking his numb face. "Like now, I guess. Or maybe the time when I was almost drowned. And..." His voice grew low. "When you almost died from the Seeper virus."

Atlanta blushed, but Archie couldn't tell whether it was the cold making her that way or because of what he had just said.

"Atlanta, we don't have much time now. We're going to die soon. I was just wondering, do... Do you want to be my... Girlfriend?" The ring box, presently forgotten, was now remembered.

Atlanta's eyes widened. "Well, yeah. But Archie..."

"Yeah?" Archie dug out the box from his pocket. A death grip was kept on the box as the lid blew away. He pulled out the ring.

"You're a total idiot! Why didn't you ask me earlier? Why did you ask me when we're about to die here?" Atlanta screeched, slapping his arm.

Archie winced. "I tried too, but it was you who kept up all the distractions. Or you had such bad hearing that you couldn't hear me!"

"Bad hearing? I'm a hunter!"

"Well, this hunter needs hearing aids!"

"What?!"

"Yes!" Archie growled. Rolling his eyes, he grabbed Atlanta's glove and pulled it off. He slipped the ring on her middle finger and tugged her glove on again.

"Who said I wanted to wear your ring?" Atlanta glowered at him.

"Well, if you don't, take it off then!"

Silence ensued as they realised they were insane to be spending the last of their moments arguing as always.

Archie finally spoke up. "Sorry, 'Lanta. Let's just keep quiet and enjoy our last moments together."

Atlanta looked over at him. She gripped his arm tightly. "Archie... I love you."

Archie sobered. He was shaking from both the extreme temperature and the fear of dying. But that didn't stop him from saying what he needed to say.

"I love you too."

--

Maybe you're wondering where Herry and Odie are. Well, it's coming up soon! Hope you still find this story thrilling, haha. I shall try to update soon. Please review if you're up to it!


	10. Chapter 9

**Lady in Red**, thanks for your guess, glad you were interested enough in trying to find out. However, it isn't Leto. I do have to say that I have twisted the last part of this goddess' tale from the original myth. However, Zeus did imprison her still. Yeah, anyway, it seems you guys are missing one vital clue. Well, yeah, guranteed it's a weak way to give a hint, but well... Okay, by the way, if anyone wants to guess anymore, please PM me instead! Won't want the secret to be let out until the time is due, would we?

Disclaimer: Keep Holding On belongs to Avril Lavigne and the Best Damned Thing album, so yeah.

**Chapter Nine**

His body ached everywhere the minute he awoke. Herry groaned softly, then opened his eyes a crack. His vision was a tad bit blurry at first. Thankfully, it quickly adjusted and he realised he was staring at the cool, damp floor of a cave or something like that. The next thing he noticed was that a giant was carrying him upon his shoulder.

It didn't take a genius to connect the dots and understand that he had just been kidnapped by Cronus. However, the giant hadn't seemed to notice his awakening, and Herry wanted to keep it that way. He lay limp again.

Just on the giant's other shoulder was Odie. On the other hand (A/N: no pun intended!), he was wide awake as well. Faking unconsciousness seemed to run in the team, seeing how both played dead - unconscious, rather.

Odie waited till the giant was distracted. Once he was convinced that the giant's gaze was nowhere near him, he linked gazes with Herry. Herry nodded in response, almost as though they were telepathic.

The giant was just thinking of getting some water when he found himself falling flat on his face. "Nnghh!" he moaned.

Odie went flying and crashing down to the ground. Herry landed on his feet squarely, though.

"Ouch," Odie grumbled, rubbing his rear end. "You could have done it lighter, you know."

Herry blinked at him. "But then the giant wouldn't have flipped over."

Odie glared at Herry, but at the next second, he grabbed Herry's arm. "Quick! Run!"

Herry turned to look behind his shoulder. A lumbering, angry giant running after them.

_Not_ good.

--

"Do you ever clean this place?" Neil whined, ducking a cobweb.

Lyrea glared at him, brushing aside another cobweb right in front of her. "Well, no. It's a secret underground tunnel... Which, reminds me, isn't so secret after all."

Neil didn't seem to get the hint that she meant he was supposed to be _indebted_ to her. "Why? Why isn't it not so secret anymore?"

"Well, maybe because you're here?" Lyrea responded with some sarcasm. Sniffing the dusty air, she realised that maybe he had a point. Not that she would tell him.

Neil thought for a while, stopping in his tracks. "But my presence is a reward in itself!" he exclaimed, giving Lyrea a brilliant grin.

Lyrea rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

The musty tunnel was dark, save for the light Lyrea's torch brought forth. Cobwebs hung rather eerily almost everywhere. Lyrea had to admit that it did need some cleaning at least.

"Yeah, you know - ARRRGH!"

Neil's screech made Lyrea pause. "What is it this time, another spider?" The ever-patient Lyrea was starting to get a little annoyed -"For the last time, spiders are okay!" - okay, make that _very_ annoyed.

"N-n-no, not a spider. A dead fly! Ugh! I have been scarred for life!" Neil closed his eyes. The expression on his face was pretty comical and Lyrea couldn't help but burst out laughing. Her irritation melted away as amusement quickly replaced it.

"I thought you have some friends to save?"

"Oh yeah! I totally forgot about them!" Neil looked aghast. Biting his lip, he stormed ahead, carefully avoiding all disgusting objects. "We better hurry."

Lyrea stood there, watching him for a while. A shadow of a smile crossed her face. She hurried off in his direction. "Turn left at that end..."

--

Archie's teeth was chattering, but he could barely hear anything except the all-too-familiar roar of the wind. Numb were his fingers, and he didn't even know if he was actually gripping the bars. He was nearing his death, he was sure. He felt bitter. Why couldn't he die an honourable death instead? Like, by Cronus' evil scythes? He didn't want to go down the same way his parents did. He wanted to fight it so badly. But here he was, alone as usual, battling off the cold with his last breaths.

_You're not alone  
Together we stand  
I'll be by your side, you know I'll take your hand_

He glanced over at Atlanta. A small smile crept over his face. Alright, maybe not alone. It was so much better to die with someone else. At least when he got to _up there_, Atlanta would be with him. Of course he didn't want her to die as well, but seeing there was no other way, it was slightly more reassuring.

Atlanta shot him a questioning look. Her lips were blue, and she was trembling, but she still managed a smile too. Tucking her hand gently into his, they held each other for what they were sure were their last moments alive.

_When it gets cold  
And it feels like the end  
There's no place to go  
You know I won't give in  
No I won't give in_

"I-I-I can't believe it," Archie mumbled. "W-w-we're g-g-going to d-die." He gripped her hand with fingers he couldn't feel.

"C-c-come on, we've been in w-w-worst situations b-before," Atlanta scolded with as much strength as she could muster. "W-we've got to k-keep holding o-on. Th-They'll find us..."

_Keep holding on  
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through  
Just stay strong  
'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you  
There's nothing you could say  
Nothing you could do  
There's no other way when it comes to the truth_

"Y-y-yeah, right," Archie replied. "I'm going to d-die the s-same way as my p-p-p-pa-parents did."

"N-not if I c-can help it," Atlanta said with some determination. "F-for o-o-once I m-m-miss your s-stupid m-macho-ness..."

"MACHONESS!" Archie burst out. "I'm not macho! Wait, is that a g-g-good thing or a bad thi-thing?"

"It's a-a b-b-bad thing," Atlanta confirmed shakily, slapping his arm.

"W-well, I'll-I'll sh-show y-ou then! W-we're g-g-g-going to survive alright!" Archie yelled back, glaring at her, purple hair, white-from-cold face and all.

_So keep holding on  
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through_

A jerk sent both of them lurching forward. Atlanta almost fell off the ski lift. Archie, meanwhile, grabbed her arm before she was completely off the ski lift. He carefully and painstakingly pulled her up again into his safe arms.

"I-I-Is it my imag-imagination or is the ski l-lift moving ag-again?"

The ski lifts were miraculously moving again, and at a speed faster than normal. Of course, to two people who were freezing cold, they could have just been hallucinating that the ski lift was moving faster than usual.

Before they even reached the ground, Archie and Atlanta jumped off the ski lift. They crashed to the ground, unstable on shaky legs.

"Here, this way."

Atlanta felt an arm grasp her. Looking up at concerned blue eyes, she thought it was Neil at first. On closer inspection, it was a pretty blonde.

Archie tried to stand up, but he collasped. His legs felt like jelly - 'blocks of ice' would sound more appropriate, however - as he stumbled into the little tunnel, leaning on Neil all the way.

--

Odie and Herry rounded the corner. The giant pounding of giant feet followed closely behind. They rounded another bend when they stopped.

"Cronus," Herry snarled, cracking his knuckles.

"Yes, Cronus." The god of time smirked down at them, standing in their way. "And where do you think you're going?"

"Out of here, duh!" Odie replied. No sooner had he spoke than he was lifted into the air by Agnon. "Argh, let me go, you big brute!"

"Out of here? I don't think so." Cronus summoned his scythes.

Herry looked around. Between the giants, and Cronus, escape didn't seem like an option anymore.

--

Alright, so that one's done. I'm going to write this one-shot thing soon, yup. Well, hope this chapter was alright for all of you. There's more to come, I guess.


	11. Chapter 10

My apologies for making you readers wait. Exams in the way, all that. Also, this chapter seems detached and utterly misplaced. My apologies for that also! Hope you can bear with me here!

**Chapter Ten**

Jay was pacing about the room, unaware that at that very moment, Archie and company were on their way. The blizzard had ended. Unfortunately, too much snow was wedged in the door. It was impossible to wrench it open. With a little more pacing, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Theresa, you can lift it, can't you?"

"What? Huh? Lift what?" Theresa blinked. She had been leaning on the door and gazing outside with a worried frown on her face.

"Lift the snow! Theresa, you're telekinetic, remember?" This was undeniably the most excited she'd ever seen him.

However, she felt the need to make things clear. "Jay, I can't lift _that_ much. I can lift objects _sometimes_, and sometimes I just can't."

Jay paused, looking deflated. "Try, at least?" he said, voice despondent.

In response, Theresa merely lifted up her fingers. She walked to the window, swallowed, then closed her eyes. It was hard to focus, but she tried. A warm, tingly feeling was at her fingertips - it was almost like the feel of magic. Telekinetically, the snow began to float in the air. A slow process it was, but finally she heaved it to the side. To her it had taken a lot of energy. Now, she stood, slumped against the wall from the weariness. She had been right, of course - only half the snow had been removed.

Jay opened his mouth to speak when he heard a grating sound. Eyes wide, he motioned to Theresa, who wearily followed.

He picked up his sword from the table. Like magic, the blade shot out like it always did. Treading on the ground slowly, he listened carefully. The noise seemed to be coming from Neil's room.

He crept quickly to the room. Then he peered in, not noticing that Theresa was not exactly in the best condition at the moment to jump anyone. Before their very eyes, a panel of wood on the ground began to slowly slide open. He could even hear the voices.

"Get ready," Jay whispered, a dangerous edge to his voice.

Theresa nodded and put up a fighting stance immediately.

Just then, the panel slid away fully. In a flash, Jay brought his sword down with surprising agility and accuracy. There was a piercing scream as bits of blond hair floated in the air and drifted to the ground.

Neil couldn't stop screaming. "Jay, how could you? Do you know how _precious_ my hair is?"

"N-Neil?" Jay stammered. As he took a closer look, he saw a blonde behind him. The first thing he thought about what he looked like was: _I'm going to jail for attempted murder._ He blushed wildly, putting away his sword immediately.

"Yes, _Neil_!" Neil glared up at his leader. "How would you like it if I gave you a haircut someday?"

Jay ignored him and stepped back to let them emerge. Theresa, on the other hand, gave a happy shriek and hugged Neil. Maybe the mental exhaustion had made her go nuts, or maybe she was just too relieved. Jay felt a twinge of jealousy arise, but he forced it down and chose to believe in the latter.

Neil grinned. "Whoa! I know you miss me, but it's alright, Theresa."

Theresa rolled her eyes at him. Without a doubt, Neil had spoilt the moment of friendship.

"Where's Odie and Herry?" Jay questioned.

Neil made a face. "They got kidnapped by Cronus. I was saved - by Lyrea actually." He jabbed a finger in Lyrea's direction.

"Introductions - Lyrea, this is Jay, Theresa, Archie and Atlanta." He pointed them out one by one. "And everybody, this is Lyrea. She's the hotel owner's daughter."

Jay nodded slowly. "So, why in the world did you come out... here?"

Neil beamed. "It's a long story. But I'll have you to know that _I_ saved Archie and Atlanta. Anyway, it turns out this place has tons of secret passages, and Lyrea knows them all. She guided me - not that I _needed_ guiding - and we found Archie and Atlanta on the ski lift. I mean, after all, the ski lift had been _stopped_. And, knowing my strong intuition, I guessed that they could not get down from the mountain. And therefore, I started it again. True enough, they came down and we got them."

Theresa could practically hear the wheels turning in Jay's head. She herself could barely process what could have been summarised easily.

"Thanks," she managed out to Lyrea.

"No problem," Lyrea returned, suddenly feeling awkward. "Well, would anyone tell me what's going on?" She looked around expectantly at the strangers.

Archie and Atlanta had collasped onto Neil's bed and fallen asleep together in a tumble. Thankfully Neil hadn't notice they were sopping wet. If not, he wouldn't have treated it lightly.

Jay hesitated, gazing at Theresa, then Neil. Finally, he decided to let her in on the situation. As Theresa and he were explaining the prophecy and Cronus, Neil wandered off to the bathroom to see his own reflection.

Just as Jay was getting to the part of their ancestry lines, they heard him scream again.

"Someone's been using my bathroom!"

* * *

The night was silent. There was the occasional chirping of a stray cricket, but other than that, nothing. Everyone, it seemed, was sleeping. Lyrea was sleeping in Odie's room for the time being.

But no, _he_ wasn't sleeping. He had pulled up a chair to the window. Chin propped up, he gazed out at the expanse of dark snow. And he wondered.

He wondered how he was going to say Herry and Odie, how he was going to account for his telling Lyrea the team secrets, whether he was even a good leader at all.

There were times even _Jay_ had self-doubts.

And, although he couldn't help it, his doubt was more crushing than anything else. More crushing than even Cronus. In fact... He was his own enemy.

And the worse part was that he couldn't overcome himself.

He breathed a heavy sigh. Hearing the pattering of feet, his senses went on alert. But when he turned to look, all he saw was Theresa.

"Oh, hey," he said softly.

Theresa merely smiled and grabbed a chair for herself. He knew what was going through her mind - she knew. She was always fully aware of what he was thinking, and it amazed him. Of course, she had never seen the rationale for his worry regarding Cronus.

"Thinking hard?"

Jay bit his lip. Then, he replied honestly, "Yeah."

Theresa nodded in understanding. Quietly, she slipped her hand in his. "Don't worry. I've been thinking a lot too... Odie, Herry... You're thinking about them, aren't you?"

"Yeah. I don't even know if they're okay. What if... What if they're dead!" He couldn't help the outburst. He was afraid for them.

The unknown always brought about fear, and not having any control over it was all the more frightening.

Theresa swallowed. "I know. But I sense they're not far, and they're alive. You trust me, don't you?"

Jay took a deep breath in and let it out. "I do. But still, I wonder. If there was anything more I could do, anything more I could have been more careful about -"

"Jay, relax on yourself, will you?" Theresa whispered softly, squeezing his hand comfortingly. "We all have our doubts. It's how we handle it. Since worrying isn't going to help, we should get some rest so we'll be able to find them tomorrow."

He just stared straight ahead. Then he choked. It was silent tears, soundless. Somehow, it tore her heart even more.

Maybe it was like he was finally cracking from the stress and his concern over his friends. Whatever it was, she knew it wouldn't be sincere if she told him, "It's going to be alright."

Because she knew there was a chance that Fate just might not go the way they hoped.

And for the second time in the trip, she cried with him as well.

Alright, I decided to make Jay cry. Lately I've been doing that... I think. Ah well. I just wanted to reinforce this fact - Jay doesn't only cry for Theresa. In **Phantom Rising**, it was just the circumstances that made him cry. I'm sure if it were anybody else, everybody would be crying as well, and Jay is no exception. I hope you agree with me. I have a slight suspicion that the characters are going OOC. Still, I can't do anything about it much, so yeah. I'll try harder the next round!


	12. Chapter 11

I've been thinking of doing a sequel and I've put up a summary for it on my profile page. Please let me know what you think(: By the way, thanks to all my faithful reviewers for reviewing. It's been really nice to know you guys have been reading all this while I've been posting. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I've enjoyed writing this.

By the way, my friends **Invisible-Nobody** and **The fates of love** have posted their first stories - **Living Fairytales** and **Wake up living** respectively - so check them out if you want!

**Chapter Eleven**

Despite the completely reliable heater that was sputtering out unsuppressed heat, the morning was still cold. The blizzard had stopped the night before, thankfully so, but the temperature hadn't gone up much. Not that Neil could tell.

Yawning and clambering out of his bed, he wondered why he was even up so early. A quick glance at the curtains told him what he needed to know - it was pretty dark, and not a hint of sun filtered through the light curtains. And surprise, surprise, he was up before sunrise.

His hand consciously reached for his mirror. When he saw his reflection, he blanched. His hair was a mess, as it always was in the morning. And he actually had eyebags! _Eyebags_! The horror of it.

He grimaced. Running a comb through his hair was a quick job for once. Perhaps he was hungry, or was just random, or simply just feeling serious because of his friends' disappearance, because he walked out his room and into the hall.

The first thing he saw made him smile. Theresa and Jay, sitting on chairs before the window, were fast asleep. Theresa was snuggling into Jay's snug sweater. The both of them looked blissful. Neil shook his head lightly, forcing away thoughts of taking a photo. Today he just felt too serious. Maybe Herry and Odie's absence made him hurt and think a little bit deeper.

After all, he had never really truly thought about his friends dying.

Sure, Jay had died once. But he had always known that his hardy leader would make it back. And he did.

But now things were all too real. Herry and Odie. _Two_ people. Rather, two of his _friends_. Not one but two. And finally he could say that it scared him. Of course things like that were too... Too awkward to be spoken aloud, and he had never really been comfortable with saying that he cared. After all, he cared about himself, but it wasn't just him. There were his friends in the picture, like it or not. He hadn't started off with _wanting_ to like them, but he did in the end.

He shook his head abruptly. Since when had he started thinking such deep thoughts? It wasn't like him.

He drew out his mirror, gazing at his reflection. That same platinum blond hair he had from his father, and those blue eyes... The same as ever. But he had changed. His friends had changed him. And he actually looked like he cared (not that anyone else would see that difference in him). And funnily enough, it felt good.

He put the mirror back into his pocket and made his way to the door. It was dark outside, but there was an innard force compelling him to put his hand on the door knob and turn it. He opened it quietly, stepping out of the house -

- And almost screamed.

Long blond hair. A girl. Sitting on the doorstep. Was she a g-g-gh-ghos...!

Three long seconds later, Neil realised that it was Lyrea. That little bit of information had come only when Lyrea turned to look at him, though.

"Hey, Neil. What are you doing here?" She looked as surprised as he felt.

She was right. What _was_ he doing here?

He ran a hand through his hair sheepishly. "I was thinking of how good I would look like in the snow." _Lies, lies._

"Yeah, right." Lyrea snorted. "You weren't thinking about that, you were thinking about something else, weren't you?"

"How did you know?" _Way to go, Neil. You're so extremely smart today._

Lyea grinned triumphantly. "I didn't. But you just told me."

Neil shrugged, sitting down on the steps himself. "Alright. But don't you think I _would_ look good in the snow?" He beamed at the thought of himself in an extravagant pose. The cameraman would tell him how fabulous he looked, how his smile seemed to glitter in the non-existent sunrays...

"Yeah."

Neil almost fell off the steps. "Did I hear you correctly?"

Lyrea raised an eyebrow. "I said 'yeah'."

"You mean you think that I would look _good_ in the snow?" Neil looked hopeful. After so much criticism on his friends' part, it was music to his ears to hear of this wonderful, very-much-deserved praise.

She rolled her eyes and shot him a warning look. "Don't push it."

And he decided he wouldn't.

"Anyway, what were you thinking of just now?" Lyrea cast a sidelong glance at him.

He shifted uncomfortably in the snow. "My friends?"

"You're kidding," Lyrea said in much disbelief. "You were actually thinking of someone else?" Seeing Neil's glare, she covered up quickly. "I mean, uh, why were you thinking about them?"

"They're gone. And I'm not sure if they're coming back." Neil sighed. "I didn't think this before, but I would have given away my mirror to have them back."

Lyrea softened considerably. Just as she thought, this guy had a heart. And a heart that didn't only focus on himself. She was heartened by this fact.

"I'm sorry," she whispered softly.

Neil cocked his head to one side. "So what are you doing here?"

"Me? Thinking about my mum, that's all." It was a wistful smile that conveyed her thoughts. "She's dead now. In fact, today's her Death Anniversary."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Neil was quiet for a while.

"Nah, it's okay. She's been dead a long time now... I still miss her, but I've still got my dad. How about you?" Lyrea couldn't help but wonder why she asked such a question.

"My mum, she's alright. My dad, he ran away with another woman." He didn't know what made him bare his heart to Lyrea. This was something he hadn't even told his own friends.

There was silence for a while. It wasn't something of awkward nature. No, on the other hand, it seemed to be perfectly comfortable.

That is, it was until a huge fireball came hurtling towards the cabin.

It was hardly expected. The fireball was about the size of Herry's truck, only bigger. Neil jumped up in horror, his mouth opening in a silent scream. A split second later, he reacted and pushed Lyrea out the way. The heat was intense, but the first worry was came to his mind was not that his hair was on fire. No, in the path of destruction was the cabin, which equaled his friends.

The next few seconds passed with alarming slowness as the fireball drew closer to the cabin. He vaguely heard Lyrea screaming in the background, but nothing was registering. And the next moment, something amazing happened.

A thin film of translucent, barely visible purple appeared before the cabin. And it appeared just in time too, because the fireball was within microseconds from touching it. The fireball hit the force field of sorts, and the purple flickered, seeming weak and about to give way. But it held firm in the end, and the fireball was extinguished before their very eyes.

Neil could only gape.

The smoke cleared, and he saw Theresa standing at the window, eyes glowing an eerie purple. Her hands were outstretched, as if she was the one controlling the force field. Jay was standing beside her. Suffice to say, his eyes were popping up with surprise, like how he was sure his were looking like at that point in time. Then the purple in Theresa's eyes faded. She must have felt drained from the exercise of unseen-of power, because she fainted. Thankfully, there was Jay to catch her.

That was all he saw before his head connected with snow. Someone had pushed him - Lyrea, he was sure.

Rolling onto his back, he glared up at her. "I could have broken a nail, you know that?" He examined his nails and gave her another death glare. "And I did!"

"You could have lost all your _hair_ if I didn't push you down. Your hair was on fire," the blonde retorted.

Meanwhile, Archie and Atlanta hurried out of their rooms at the same time. "What just happened?" both asked simultaneously. Evidently they must have heard Lyrea's screams.

Atlanta took one look at Theresa and she was beside Jay. "Is she okay?"

Archie looked out of the window and got a shock of his life. "Did Neil decide to dye half of his hair black or something?" Seeing the smoke, he just realised that there must have been a fire.

"We're under attack! Get your weapons!" Jay yelled at them instead. At a time like this, he didn't bother to answer any of their questions. Pulling an unconscious Theresa closer to him, he kicked the door open and stumbled outside.

"Neil, are you okay?" was the first thing that left his mind.

Neil had his eyes shut while Lyrea was poking him to get up. "How bad is it, Jay? How bad is my hair?"

"Very bad," came a familiar voice from behind. Archie, purple hair intact and all, grinned as he walked up to Jay. In his hands were Theresa and Jay's coats, which he promptly handed over. Jay accepted them gratefully.

Neil didn't know whether to scream or to cry. In this case, he did both. Atlanta, meanwhile, zipped up to them.

Footfalls crunching in the snow made everyone look up from a wailing Neil. And before them, stood a tall, elegant woman. Her hair was long and blond, with a hint of waviness to them. Her eyes were a cold ice blue. There was something graceful about her, yet chilling in her presence. She held up her hand, which smoke was emnating from.

"Glad to see that Cronus' little gift works," she said with a twisted smile. Clenching her fist, she brought the hand back down to her side.

"Who are you?" Jay demanded. He would have whipped out his sword from nowhere had he not been carrying Theresa.

Archie, however, was way ahead of him. Hephaestus' whip was in his hand even before Jay had said anything. But the recognition made him stop short.

"You," he breathed. "I remember you."

"Of course you would. I'm the one who gave you that piece of advice, aren't I?" The woman smirked. "So, have you done it?"

"Done what?" Jay stared at Archie like he was crazy. A thought of Archie betraying the team crossed his mind, but then he forced it away.

"I see you have," said the woman. She nodded towards Atlanta's ungloved hands and at the ring.

Archie gritted his teeth. He automatically tightened his hold on his whip. "What are you doing here? And what was that 'piece of advice' for, in the first place?"

The woman cocked her head to one side. "I'm obliged to give advice," she said coldly. "I don't necessarily want to give it, but I have to. I'm the goddess of good counsel, but a lot of other things as well."

Atlanta's eyes widened as she struggled to call to mind the Greek Mythology she had learnt. "You're..."

The woman's eyes gleamed. "I'm Metis, the Titan goddess of good counsel, advice, wisdom, craftiness and cunning."

* * *

Finally I have revealed who Metis is. I wonder if anyone has guessed it? And anyway, she's going to play a huge major role in the sequel, **With Everything to Fear**. I got the above information from Theoi, a website on Greek Mythology, and Wikipedia. So yeah, please review if you have the time!


	13. Chapter 12

I've realised that I've given the impression that the story has ended and the sequel will begin. Well, there's a few more chapters before I begin the sequel. My exams have officially ended, so you'll be seeing me around a lot more often.

I want to put a special thanks out to my _awesome_ class, **One-Seven**. A lot of them supported me in my writing of non-fanfiction, fanfiction and yeah. Some of them - **Azalea**, **YJ **and others - even helped me with a few ideas of my fanfiction when I started out. Especially YJ - she practises "self-appreciation", spread it to me and inspired me in terms of Neil's character. So yeah, here are my dedications.

**Chapter Twelve**

"Why are you doing this?" Atlanta gazed in Metis' direction solemnly.

Through encounters with many a people - gods or immortals, rather, such as Arachne and Orion, she had come to realise that most of them had done it for revenge. And if she remembered Metis' mythical origins properly, she was sure it wasn't a good thing that Metis herself was here and trying to destroy them.

Metis laughed cruelly. "Why am I doing this? _That_, you have to ask Zeus. I remember a time where long ago, I was the one who helped him force Cronus himself to regurgitate his children. I was, supposedly, Zeus' first love, though many followed after, including your dear Hera. I bore him a powerful daughter that he almost didn't allow to grow up. No, it was all because a stupid prophecy. He had always wanted to be first. No one was to usurp him, and when he heard that the prophecy that the son I was going to give birth to would be mightier than he... Why, he didn't like it."

The titans remained quiet, knowing that what was to follow would probably be of cruel nature. Zeus, to them, was a gentle old janitor. However in all Greek myths (which were proven true), it seemed that he was nothing more than a scheming, conniving trickster. Thankfully he had seemed to mellow with age, and no longer was what they deemed to be disgusting in their sight. These thoughts, of course, were sealed in their brains - they weren't obviously going to blurt it out to Zeus anytime soon.

"I was pregnant with my darling Athena, and then... He swallowed me whole."

That wasn't exactly what they were expecting, though.

"Ewww!" Neil couldn't help but say with much disgust. "That's just gross!"

Metis ignored his comment and went on, chillingly. "Only when Prometheus struck the head of Zeus with an axe did Athena come out. And she was clad in her armour as she sprung up from his crown. But I never was allowed to see her, being locked away in Zeus. When he got tired of having me around for I struggled so, he put me in a prison that I would never like to be in again."

"That's harsh," Lyrea said sympathetically.

"Harsh?" Metis shot her a death glare. "_Harsh_?! I spent years in that prison, even longer than Cronus did in Tartarus. Locked away in solitude and isolation, destined for these mere things for the rest of my life had Cronus not come to free me. And even if I know you children are innocent, I am sorry, but you will have to pay for what Zeus has done. A temporary revenge until I get my hands on Zeus. I am _not_ going back to that prison."

Jay met her threatening look with one of his own. "Where's Herry and Odie?" he growled. If his friends weren't focussing on Metis, they would actually have realised that Jay sounded a little bit too scary at the moment.

"Them?" Metis gave a quick, cheerful laugh. Her demeanor darkened again. "They're somewhere safely with Cronus. I do have to wonder, though, if the giants felt like giving the old torturing a hand today..."

"You... You!" Archie sputtered, mad. His grip on his whip tightened considerably, but yet he knew killing her wouldn't help matters anyway. No, in the first place, goddesses could never die. And in this way, they could be called _helpless_.

Metis cocked her head to one side. "Well, then, I better be going." Her trilling laughter was nothing but creepy. She turned to go, aware that Atlanta was shooting a small tracking device in her direction. The little beeping device had attached itself on her long dress - no doubt an invention by that supposed genius Odie - but this was exactly the way she had planned it would go. And so far, her plans were working just fine.

After all, she was the goddess of cunning.

She slipped quickly back into the woods, but they didn't follow - yet. But they would...

_Later_.

* * *

They didn't follow, of course, because at that moment Theresa had stirred. Her eyes fluttered open groggily, and she looked a little dizzy but otherwise completely fine.

"Are you okay?" Jay asked needlessly, still worried.

Theresa nodded. She gazed in the direction of the fleeing Metis. "Who's that?"

"The person who has been trying to kill us all along. Metis, the goddess of good counsel, advice, wisdom, craftiness and cunning and what not," Archie muttered.

Neil, however, had gotten to his feet. "Theresa, since when could you, I don't know, do that force field thing?"

Theresa shrugged uncomfortably. "I don't know, it just... just _came_ to me. I guess it was born out of the desire to help you guys." She smiled briefly, feeling her energy return to her.

Jay's eyes darted to the thick forestation. He was, no doubt as anyone could tell, concentrating on Metis' escape. "Come on, let's hurry," he urged, gesturing to them and already leading the pack. "She's probably going back to her lair. Maybe Herry and Odie's there."

"What if it's a trap?" Archie shouted, catching up with him.

Jay didn't hesitate as he ran. Grim determination set onto his features. "It probably is, but it's still worth a try. Our friends are in danger, and I'm not going to stand here waiting for them to return on their own."

At the back, Neil was the last to run. He hated running, but he knew this was of importance. Something that shocked him was Lyrea running along with him.

"What are you doing?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lyrea raised an eyebrow back at him. "Coming along, duh," she responded like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Neil stopped in his tracks and turned around to face her. "Well, _no_, you can't come along."

Lyrea glared at him. "Why?"

"Well, uh, because you're not one of the seven? And hello, leave it to us. We're the properly trained, one hundred per cent certified Cronus-busters. Not you."

"Neil!" yelled Atlanta in front. "Hurry up!"

"Alright!" Neil yelled back. He faced Lyrea again. "Whatever you do, don't follow."

With that, he ran off without looking back.

* * *

This chapter is pretty short, my apologies for that. I will write more soon, that I can safely say. And I'll be starting a new fanfic soon. See you soon(:


	14. Chapter 13

The previous chapter was short - _really_ short - so this shall be much, if not at least slightly, longer. To **African Titan** - if you really want Herry and Odie to have girlfriends and to be in the spotlight, I shall consider writing a sequel to **With Everything To Fear**. However, if you have ideas, please do tell or PM me, because it might be a little harder for me to think about ideas concerning Odie and Herry. I am, after all, one of the hugest Jay fans of the century, and so I tend to focus on him more... My bad, of course(:

**Chapter Thirteen**

Cronus smirked, sitting atop his cave-carved throne as Agnon stood by, on watch.

It was indeed virtually impossible to break out of this trap, Odie had thought to himself miserably. He had been scanning the surroundings for about three hours now, and all he knew was there was a weirdo woman walking around, trying to kill the rest. And from the looks of it, it seemed that she had already succeeded.

Herry, on the other hand, had been separated from him. Placed in another room, to be exact. And to put it crudely, both of them were chained up securely with bonds of special strength. He had seen Herry try to break out, and he hadn't even succeeded, so chances were Odie himself wouldn't be able to get out. Actually, who was he kidding - he _wouldn't_ be able to break out at all.

So nothing was worse than sitting in a musty-smelling, dingy cave all by himself except for a huge towering giant and a stupid, smirking god. As if things couldn't get any _better_. (Note the sarcasm.)

"Cronus, would you just give up already?" Odie asked, annoyed. "It's not like you're going to win, anyway."

Suddenly he wished he hadn't said that. Cronus stood and walked over in his direction.

Nah, it wasn't that Odie was afraid of the god. It was just that once Cronus got started, he wouldn't really stop. And he would talk the ears off Odie - that is, if Odie didn't die of boredom first.

It was an undeniably horrifying torture. Secretly, Odie wondered how Agnon and company managed to maintain their sanity.

And with a startling thought, he realised the answer was easy. They _weren't_ sane in the first place (or maybe they lost it when they got to know Cronus).

"My dear boy," Cronus said with a chuckle, "Do you really think so?"

Odie wanted to roll his eyes. "Yes, I do."

Cronus' expression darkened considerably. "Well, then you're wrong. I am the God of Time, and you think I can be defeated by a bunch of mere teenagers? No! That will never happen - not now, not ever."

Hope bubbled from within Odie. Was this the end of Cronus' long, boasting speech? He remained quiet, still hoping.

"And do you know why I would be able to defeat the other gods and my dear son Zeus? I am mightier than anyone. With my powers, I can rule the world and send it into chaos. Serve all those mean humans right; they all forgot my name! Forgot my _name_! Fancy that! And they shall pay for it. But not before the other gods pay for it. They sent me to the dungeon in the depths of Tartarus. Do they have any idea how _boring_ it was there? It is worse than being killed - not that I can be killed in the first place. And so I shall take my revenge on them!" Cronus let out a burst of laughter, which was supposed to sound evil but to Odie, sounded way pathetic.

Of course, he felt like dozing off now. This was a sign of the start of Cronus' speech, and Odie wondered if he would ever see daylight again. For once, he missed Neil. _Big_ time.

No doubt his friends were coming to save him, if they were alive, something that worried him, but he hoped it would be quick. As soon as possible. How much of this he could endure, he had no idea. And right now, he wanted to faint.

Cronus rattled on, not noticing his audience's - his only audience, since lucky Agnon had the luxury of freedom to escape - constipated look.

* * *

In the next room, Herry struggled against the bonds that held him. It had been hours since he had first tried, and they hadn't loosened.

One of Cronus' giant henchmen stood guard near him, so the chances of escaping was nearly nil. Hearing Cronus in the other room made him slightly worried for Odie. What in the world was Cronus doing to him? Well, at least there weren't any screams, but he couldn't be sure.

He tugged uselessly at the chains. And, a second later, he heard his stomach grumble. He hadn't eaten in one day. One **full** day. That hadn't happened before, and of course he was hungry like anyone would be.

It didn't exactly help as the random giant guard before him smugly bit into his own sandwich. It looked pretty much revolting - the sandwich, not the giant - and there was something that looked vaguely like worms, but Herry would eat anything now, including giants, oh and not forgetting maybe Cronus, even. Though Cronus wasn't even worthy enough to be eaten, to Herry.

Enduring the torture, Herry groaned again, averting his eyes from the tempting delight. What he didn't know was that Odie was also suffering in the other room.

* * *

"Hurry! Herry and Odie might be injured, or being tortured, or something!" Jay almost yelled as the team trampled through the thick snow.

Archie groaned. "We're hurrying already! Anyway, how do you even know they're being tortured?"

"Metis said something about torture by the giants," Jay declared, patting his pocket to make sure his sword was there. He had no idea how right he was about the torture.

Atlanta pointed in the direction of a cave. It loomed slightly up ahead, almost hidden by the bushes. The tracking device started beeping like crazy, and the red light pinpointing the exact location of Metis blinked furiously. In addition to that, the red dot on the tracking map had stopped moving completely.

"Over there," Atlanta said, marching over. "Let's go and save them."

"Wait," Theresa responded immediately. She grabbed Atlanta's arm. "We need a plan."

"Now you're starting to sound like Jay," Archie muttered under his breath, something that Theresa pretended not to hear.

"What's there to plan?" Neil said breezily. He took one step into the cave. "After all, there's probably nothing here that - OH MY GOSH!"

"What? What is it?" Archie whipped out his whip (A/N: no pun intended) readily, and Jay's sword was already in his hand.

Neil pointed to a mirror standing in a corner, propped up on the wall. Without saying anything, he went over and began examining his own reflection.

Jay had to wonder why a mirror was there practically in the middle of nowhere. And for obvious reasons, why wouldn't there be a mirror here in the cave if...

"It's a trap!" Theresa shouted after the familiar sensation of a vision, but it was too late.

The ground rumbled as walls shot up, closing Neil in until no one could even see his face.

"Neil!" all of them cried at the same time, yet they knew it was futile.

Neil was trapped.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteenth**

A loud rumbling began from far off, and Cronus gave a snarl of anger.

"What was that, Metis?" he yelled, and Metis calmly made her way to his side. "You said you'd capture them!"

Metis cocked her head to one side. "And that's what I'm doing," she spoke, her eyes sparkling with muted coldness. "I've lured them here."

Cronus growled and summoned his scythes. "You lured them here for _me_ to kill them?! _You_ were supposed to do the dirty work for me!" He noticed at that same moment that the rumbling sound has ended.

"Cronus, there are traps around the cave, and seven unknowing teenagers walking into it with no prior experience with this area at all." Metis paused, looking up haughtily to the upper cave wall. "And what do you think will happen?" She muttered under her breath lightly, "Oh right, I forgot - you don't think!"

Cronus, thankfully, didn't hear that. He thought for a long while, then his eyes brightened with the realisation. "And will it work?" he said suspiciously.

Metis gave him a bored look. "Do I _look_ like I will fail?"

Cronus glanced over at her slyly. "You did with Zeus. Why, you, the oh-great Metis, fell into his trap!" There was a hint of mockery behind his tone, and he narrowed his eyes. Yes, certainly, he had riled her for a reason.

Metis seemed to remember the monstrous injustice done to her and she flared up in anger. "And for that reason, I will not fail you, Cronus."

Cronus smiled evilly, ensured that Metis would indeed strive to bring the seven heroes down to their knees. So began the evil laugh that he 'belted' out, cackling in his assurance that victory would be his.

* * *

A laugh so loud that it travelled all the way to the entrance of the cave.

"What's that?" Atlanta wondered, the first to notice it. She was, of course, the sharpest in the team, with her huntress instincts.

The eerie sound seemed to bounce off the walls and echo over and over again. Theresa shuddered. The laugh, though, had no effect on Jay. He was pounding on the stone walls that Neil was entrapped in.

Archie was examining the walls. He knocked hard and listened carefully. Then he turned to look at Jay. "Uh, Jay, I don't think we can break through the rock. It's very thick - not impenetrable, I know - but a trap here means that someone has already been alerted that we're here. We should move - now. Neil will be all right, don't you think?"

Jay gave Archie the evil eye. "Do you _really_ think _Neil_ will be alright?" With the viciousness he said it, he made it sound like it was a statement. A negative statement, to be exact.

"Oh, I will be!" crowed Neil inside. "I've got a mirror, and my hair looks unruffled! So don't worry, I'll be alright here. Just... fine..." Neil's voice got unimaginably floaty and dreamy.

The rest of the team groaned. Atlanta paused again, however. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" replied Archie.

A soft sound started from all around them. It sounded like rocks moving, or rather the walls splitting to reveal...

"Swords!" Theresa cried out, pulling Jay from the wall just as she saw the swords almost magically spring out of the walls.

Archie, on the other hand, stumbled carelessly from the wall as well, just in the nick of time to avoid being injured. "Well, as I said earlier, I think someone knows we're here."

"Neil, don't move! We'll be back for you!" Jay called before running to join everyone else.

"Well, yeah, it's not like I can get out of here!" Neil murmured to himself, unheard by the rest.

They began running. Only four of the team left, and they were dashing now. The fact that whole cave was booby-trapped was now apparent to them.

"STOP!" Theresa commanded, and everyone all but halted.

A huge ball suddenly detached itself from the wall and swung, scraping the ground they would have been standing on a second ago if not for Theresa's little warning. It swung back and forth, like a giant pendulum, and it was a large stone. Anyone who was squashed by it, from the looks of it, would definitely not survive.

"Whoa, that was close!" Atlanta breathed, her eyes wide with alarm.

Jay nodded seriously. His eyes roved around the area quickly. They came to rest on the sides of the walls. Those places, he carefully noted, were untouched by the giant pendulum. Unfortunately, travelling through there was made difficult by the swords sticking out of the walls, and they would have to advance carefully. All these he shouted aloud for them to hear, and with a commanding "Come!", they were slowly stepping through the area.

Archie was the last to go through it. So, alright, the swords and the swinging pendulum stone were making him nervous, but he tried to brush the nervousness away. He was just in the middle when he realised something was wrong. Way, _way_ wrong. His eyes widened in frozen fear as he watched the stone break off from its upper support, the force sending it rolling in Archie's direction. He dived and landed on the ground, coughing out the dirt.

"You could have warned me about that," Archie spat out, annoyed at Theresa.

Theresa glared at him. "I would if I had seen a vision about it," she replied. "It wasn't like I did it on purpose or anything."

"Guys, guys, hold it," Jay started, looking behind his shoulder. "I think you might want to take this somewhere else and some other time."

"And why would we?" Both Archie and Theresa said simultaneously, glaring at each other in irritation.

Atlanta, however, tapped them both on the shoulder. "Because the boulder's rolling down _here_?!"

All of them looked at each other. With a well-timed "ARGHHH!", they started running again.

The boulder was rolling down at a great speed, and swords were flying in the air after being detached from the wall by the huge boulder. If anybody paused, there wasn't a crack of space that they could hide in. Anything and everything was being buldozed over. It was terrifying and since it was a downward slope, the boulder was gathering speed and the four heroes were about to, aptly put, be turned into pancakes. After all, there was only so fast you could run. Gravity (of boulder) versus human running speed... And Atlanta was the only super speedy one, so things were looking like a gone case. Suddenly, out of the blue Theresa shouted.

"Stand back!" She paused - a risky move - and closed her eyes shut. She lifted her arms gracefully up, and, with a short mutter of "This had better work!", she strained at all the power building up from within her;. her hands glowed purple for the second time today.

The three of them stared at her, open-mouthed. This was a little too much surprise in a morning for them to take in. Admitted, Theresa's orange hair flying was a little scary. She had, they had realised, grown in power. Just a day ago, Jay remembered she had been unable to lift the snow, and now she was creating shields and trying to stop moving boulders. Then again, he was worried - judging from how tired she had initially been the day before, she was probably tapping into her last reserves of energy.

The bright purple burst forward, enveloping the boulder. And magically, _the boulder stopped._

Theresa turned her head slightly around. She looked tired, and her hands were still outstretched. Her power was being drained away, just like that.

"Go!" she screamed. "I can't hold this for long!"

All of them gasped. The thought of leaving their friend behind with a large, looming boulder was not a good idea. No, rather, it was not a loyal idea. Jay grimaced, lips pursed tightly.

"No!" he shouted back. "We won't leave you!"

Just then, they heard an audible scratching sound. The boulder was grating along the surface of the cave floor. Theresa's strength was slipping fast away and losing its grip on the boulder.

"Go!" she repeated again, this time with more desperation. She knew her limits, and she would have to let go soon. Her powers were weakening drastically, like her life force being sucked out of her. Very soon, she would have to let go.

Jay's eyes widened. "But..." he whispered, almost to himself.

Theresa. He couldn't leave her behind! It was too cruel. She was his friend and his girlfriend - if he had saved Odie and sacrificed his own life the last round, why couldn't he do it for one of his most loved ones...? He had to! He had to! He had to...

Atlanta rested her hand on his shoulder, breaking him out of his reverie. "Jay, we have to go." It was said in a gentle, soft manner, and Jay knew why. Atlanta was prepared to leave. Another glance at Archie's expression told him that Archie would be going along with Atlanta as well.

Maybe frustration was overwhelming because Jay burst forward in unexplained fury. His anger burned strong, a flare in his chocolate, usually warm and mellow eyes. "We can't leave her! Atlanta, what are you thinking?! Theresa is your best friend and you're thinking of leaving her behind? Don't you know what'll happen to her if we just abandon her like she wants us to? She will be crushed when she lets go, and then..." Jay's voice broke, and he bowed his head. A sense of uselessness lingered in his head, the burning force of his fury.

The whisper came light as the wind, but his two companions heard it loud and clear. _"She will die."_

Archie swallowed hard but remained silent. He knew Atlanta wanted to do the talking, and he knew what she was about to say. And she was right. It was better to leave Theresa, not because they didn't mind her death, but because of the greater good. His eyes clouded over - but warriors don't cry - as he was reminded how badly he had at times treated Theresa. And now he would never get to say goodbye, or grudgingly say that she was officially friends. Or thank her, or apologise for everything. His heart slowed and he bit his lip to restrain the tears.

Atlanta kept her hand rested on Jay's shoulder. "Jay," she said urgently, "we have to go! Not because we want to, but because we _have_ to."

"And why do we?" Jay asked bitterly, looking away. "We have a choice. There's _always_ a choice."

Atlanta shook her head hurriedly. She could practically hear the floor vibrating as the boulder grated again along the cave floor. "No, we _have_ to. We owe it to Theresa. She sacrificed for us, for Odie and Herry... Don't tell me you're going to let it go to waste? You're going to let us die along with her too, and let Theresa's strength, the pouring out of her energy, be sacrificed for _nothing_? Listen to yourself, Jay! Is this what she would want? Is this what would make her happy? She wants us to survive, Jay, and are you going to deny her? Are you?!"

Jay stopped. His breath came out in shallow gasps. "I... I..." Truly, he was at a loss for words.

Theresa saw them still standing there, and screamed to them to go. To put it simply, she was sad. She smiled briefly, thinking of the day before. She had been worried for her friends, and worried for Jay. Also, she had been with the remnants of the team, and with Jay. Now, here she was, about to die. So what if she could go the Elysian Fields? It wasn't anything with her friends or Jay.

But she wanted to save them, and she would. They had done so much for her. They had been her true friends - her first true friends - and shown her kindness and real love that she never experienced before. She was indebted to them, and here she was going to pay back that debt. No, it wasn't to be looked at as a debt - it was a sacrifice. A sacrifice that true friends would never hesitate to bring forth.

To her, she finally realised it. True friends weren't friends who didn't quarrel at all, or didn't make mistakes and hurt each other's feelings, whether intentional or accidental. No, true friends went beyond the surface; it went deep into the heart. True friends treated each other with sincerity, and apologised when due. They looked out for each other and they cared for each other, something like one, big family. They didn't like you only because you were rich, or beautiful, but because they liked you. The real you, the one with the faults and the flaws. They accepted you as a whole. And she loved them.

She was determined to die for them.

"Jay!" She heard both Archie and Atlanta scream. In her heart, she silently begged him to leave.

But he wasn't leaving. He was standing there, stonily, torn between the two rights. Staying for her would be right, and leaving would be right too. It was a dilemma, but there wasn't time. Time, essentially, was their greatest enemy now - both Cronus and the time slipping away to mark her soon-to-be death.

She took one hand off stopping the boulder and craned her neck to see her friends. The boulder was crunching up the gravelly ground now, and it was rumbling, loud and clear. With one hand concentrating energy on the boulder, it was undeniably painful. Theresa could have screamed from the weakness she felt inside, but she put the thought away for the time being.

Her eyes connected with Jay. For the last time, she begged him silently to leave. There was no resolute spirit in his eyes, and they were dull. Then she closed her eyes again for the second time in the day. He left her no choice.

Their eyes maintained the connection. Theresa lifted her free hand and winced from the weariness that threatened to bring her down. Jay's eyes went wide suddenly, suddenly understanding what she was about to do. There was a mixture of desperation, guilt, worry and so many indescribable emotions that filled the eyes that she loved.

With a weak scream, she telekinetically picked them up and threw them down the cave as far as she could till she could see them no more. She would hold the boulder away till her strength was ultimately gone, she decided. She would give them as much time to escape. She prayed hope that Jay would move.

"I love you," she whispered in her faltering voice.

But, she knew he would not be able to hear her.

* * *

Down the cave, Jay, Archie and Atlanta groaned. They had flown quite far, and had been dropped rather hapharzardly. Needless to say, their heads hurt really bad.

They all stumbled to their feet, groggy from the long fall.

"NOOO!" Jay screamed in frustration, getting ready to run back.

"Oh no you don't!" Archie replied, and quickly he grabbed Jay's sweater. "This hurts us as much as it hurts you, alright? But you heard Atlanta - for Theresa's sake, we _have_ to move on!"

Jay grew subdued and quiet, and he followed them down the cave. They heard the boulder from afar. It was soft, but still they heard it. It was rolling, which meant that Theresa...

They all pressed on, depressed as the rumbling grew louder.

Archie looked behind. WIth relatively sharp eyesight, he spotted the boulder approaching. "Run!"

Theresa had bought them some time, but still the boulder was nearing them rapidly. They broke into a fast dash, well-trained by Ares' numerous track training.

"Don't - look - behind!" Atlanta gasped out. As usual, she was ahead of the pack.

If she hadn't said that, no one would have looked behind. But some sort of autonomous reaction overtook them, and they stilled for a moment to catch a glimpse of what lay behind them - one huge, hulking boulder.

And in seconds - approximately three seconds, Odie would have stated randomly if he were here - they. Would. Be.

_Crushed_.

* * *

End of chapter.

Sorry I took so long to churn this one out, I was busy watching a series from another Greek Mythology show - Hercules. Yeah, don't stare. xD I even wrote part of this in _school_. But I'll be back very soon. And by the way, I better get the Aegis Shield to protect me from flying boulders. I did an unspeakable thing - I killed off Theresa! Figuratively, of course. Ah, but did I really... I'll leave you to ponder on that by yourself. I'll try to get the next installment up as soon as possible!


	16. Chapter 15

Alright, I'm back! Note that I'll be gone for about nine days because I'll be on holiday. Still, when I come back, I'll try my best to update as soon as possible! I can't believe that I've written so many chapters of an adventure story - 16 chapters, counting the prologue, is already a lot to me - and it's really refreshing to do something like that. I'll finish this fic if it's the last thing I do! Oh, as well as complete the trilogy when I'm done with this fic - I mean the sequel, **With Everything to Fear**, which will come right after the end of this fic.

**She be the Inky Dragon**, do remember that the boulder was so large that there was no crevice that you could escape onto. Therefore, Theresa could not have had the space to lift the boulder over her head. Oh, and I don't think I can kill off Zeus. *winces* Sorry about that, haha.

**.Invisible-Nobody.**, actually it's your call if you want to believe Theresa was a goner or not. Ah well not really. I shall have presiding control over this story. Bwahaha. (Okay, I think I must have drank too much coffee today or something, I sound way too random, even for me.)

**African Titan**, I didn't think of Indiana Jones, but hey, that works too. Must have influenced me along the way or something, I've watched the whole series after all.

Thank you, all those who reviewed! **Mew of Fire**, **4evacrazy, elegos-sirinial-shamtul, the fates of love, photo41, ****Starla101101****, Matthew and ****PenCOTT-Writter9393, **you are not forgotten. I shall dish out cyber cookies and - what do you call them, Archie hugs? - Jay hugs for all of you. After all, seldom does anyone give out Jay hugs, right? And if I'm right, he would need some comforting, like, _now_... Alright, on to the chapter!

**Chapter Fifteen**

The boulder lurched forward, and time seemed to stand still (if only it really did).

Everyone slowed, knowing that even if they were to keep up the pace, they would never make it. They braced themselves, with each of them hating the fact that Theresa's self-sacrifice had been wasted.

And then, suddenly, a huge bolt of fire came out from nowhere and struck the boulder with such force that it broke. Pieces of flying rock were dispersed dangerously through the air, and Archie, Atlanta and Jay ducked quickly to avoid being smashed. As the rocks rained down from above, leaving loud, cracking sounds throughout the cave, Jay looked up. Leader instinct had kicked in, and he was worried if any more fire bolts - definitely from Metis, he realised - might come to strike them.

Looking around, he hadn't noticed a slight sound from behind him. Atlanta yelled a sharp "Look out!", but it was too late. He felt the back of something hard hit the back of his head. He groaned and fell to the ground. Jay reacting instantaneously, though, was something Cronus hadn't expected, and as Jay lashed out with a foot, Cronus found himself on his back. With slight surprise, Cronus realised Jay had improved greatly in combat and reaction time, and was, Cronus grudgingly admitted in his mind, a bit of a force to be reckoned with.

Cronus leapt to his feet, his age-old scythe summoned. Archie was too quick for him, and he found the whip tightening around his body. Cronus broke the rope easily, cutting through with his scythe, and held out his hands.

"Come now, Jay, Archie and Atlanta, I'm not here to fight." Cronus smiled eerily.

Archie snorted. "Not here to fight? Then why did you just hit Jay just now?"

Cronus shrugged. "I wanted to get his attention. And -"

"Yeah, _right_, Cronus, like _that's_ believable." Atlanta glared at Cronus. "What do you want?"

Cronus raised an eyebrow. "Smart, Atlanta. I'll cut right to the chase. Well, you see, that little boulder just now didn't quite kill your darling Theresa."

Jay clenched his fist involuntarily. A look of bloody murder came across his face, and his eyes flashed with contempt. "What did you do to her?!" he shouted, the dark fury from within unleashed.

Archie and Atlanta glanced at each other worriedly. They had seen Jay angry before, but never _this_ angry. It was like usually calm and collected Jay was nearing to a blow-up, and when people did things like that, the two of them knew enough to know that extreme anger birthed recklessness. They understood how he felt; he was the most badly hit by this, and now they were playing right into Cronus' hands.

Cronus chuckled, raising his hand. A blurry vision appeared in a slight hover above his hand. With a gasp, the three of them left saw Theresa in it. "Why, nothing really. I've got her chained in one of the rooms in the cave, that's all." Sensing the building frustration, he added quickly with an evil glint in his eye, "Oh, wait, hold on. I forgot - I put her in a room that's going to cave in soon, say, twenty minutes?"

Archie could barely restrain Jay from jumping Cronus. This was a trap, he could guess. And since Jay was totally out of his mind with rage at the moment, he decided _he_ would have to be the calm one for now.

"Cronus, you-" Jay almost felt like cursing, but he reluctantly withstrained himself.

Cronus laughed, this time with more spite. "Hold on, Jay. Don't get too huffy. I'm giving all of you twenty minutes to find her. If you didn't know, this place is just choke-full of secret _and_ normal passages. Find them and get to Theresa on time, and you'll be able to save her. Don't, and, well, she dies today! The time is in your hands. Goodbye, my dear _heroes_!" Cronus spat the word 'heroes' out like it was bitter poison, and with one last cackle, he dived into a time portal before any of them could get to him.

Archie pursed his lips in thought. "I think this is a trap, right, Jay? Jay? Jay...?"

He raised his bowed head and realised Jay was already marching ahead. He gave Atlanta a look, of which she returned one of desperation. Sure, Archie could fight giants, beat down monsters and even defend himself against Cronus. But when faced with a volatile leader who had never been like this before, Archie could say he was beaten. That look from Atlanta told him that she too had no idea what to do. He couldn't help hoping that Theresa was here. She would know what to do, what to say. Only the problem was the whole reason Jay was steaming mad was because Theresa was missing.

Although at least Theresa was alive. _At least. _Or maybe Cronus was just fooling with them. Maybe this was a trap and Theresa was already gone.

For now, they would have to put aside thoughts of Odie, Herry and Neil. Right now, they had more important things to deal with - like Theresa's life here.

Archie hung behind with Atlanta as they hesitantly followed far behind Jay.

"What should we do?" he whispered lightly to Atlanta. "I don't think Jay's really thinking straight because he's so mad right now. It's probably a trap; we don't even know if Theresa _is_ alive."

"Well, I don't know!" Atlanta whispered back. "You always say you'd make a good leader, so why don't you think of something?"

"Me?! _I_ never said I'd make an awesome leader! Well, I mean I _would_, but Jay's always been the leader and he's perfect for the role, and anyway, since you always say how you're better than me, how about you try one of your _brainy_ ideas?" Archie shot back, his voice rising.

Atlanta rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you, Archie. Faced with pressure and you're chickening out and forcing this to a girl?"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am n-"

"Would you two just keep quiet already!"

The two of them froze in mid-quarrel. They were suddenly aware of Jay, who at the moment was glowering impatiently at them. He turned around, satisfied at the silence.

"You know, if you didn't want someone to hear you, you could have used a softer tone," Jay said, still facing front as they all walked together.

Atlanta and Archie glanced at each other sharply. _Whoops. _Jay had heard everything, meaning he had heard how insecure they were about his leading...

They saw Jay soften. With his back turned to them, he said in a calmer voice, "Don't worry, I'm still mad at Cronus, but I won't let fury cloud my judgement. That's what he wants, and I won't let him have the satisfaction of irking me to the point of me not being able to concentrate. Now, let's save Theresa."

Archie ran to catch up with him. "But it may be a trap," Archie protested.

Jay raised an eyebrow. "And you're going to let Theresa die like that? Even if it may be a trap, we have to take the chance. Are you guys with me?"

Archie nodded in response, and Atlanta bobbed her head.

"Alright, let's do this!"

* * *

Theresa groaned, lifting her head slowly. _Where was she?_

She blinked. An ache rose from within and she winced at the pain. Suddenly, it all crashing down on her. The boulder, her friends...

Wasn't she supposed to be dead already? She was, wasn't she?

She blinked again. Here she was, chained up against the wall with no escape. She weakly strained at the chains, but to no avail. In normal circumstances, she doubted that she would be able to break out. And now, in her weakened condition, she wouldn't be able to get out of this.

She pulled uselessly with a grimace, until...

"Theresa, you're awake!"

She looked up, surprised. To the far corner, she saw Odie hanging from there. There were no guards of any sort, nor any giants around. "Odie?" she cried, almost in relief.

Odie nodded. "Yeah, I'm over here. Herry's in the other room where Cronus and Metis are."

Theresa frowned. "Is this any way to get out of this?" she mouthed as softly as she could.

From afar she could make out him shaking his head.

Well, to her, at least she was alive. At least she was safe.

She prayed hope that they'd be safe, but little did she know that the remaining, uncaptured three would be walking into a trap soon.


	17. Chapter 16

I came back from my trip a week ago; I'm glad to be back. Lately I've been having a crippling writer's block. I usually have one that tags along everywhere, but this one is particularly annoying because it makes me feel like not writing, and it drives my language kooky. Anyway, I'm back with this writer's block. I do hope it hasn't interfered with the story, though!

**She be the Inky Dragon**, I did think of that. Therefore, in the earlier chapters, I stated somewhere there was a 'slope' (quoting). Therefore, gravity acted on the boulder, which fit snug in the cave walls (and in the parts that didn't, like the swords sticking out, they were just obliterated). Hope that clears that up too, but glad you noticed possible plotholes.

**The fates of love**, hey, thanks, I really appreciate that. No one really told me that I could be an adventure writer. I totally agree with you about Jay! He's just too cute to be a cartoon character xD

**elegos-sirinial-shamtul**, my apologies over Theresa's apparent not-death. I didn't think that it would be right for the seven to drop down to six, since there's an upcoming sequel and I would need all seven for the teamwork. Also, I didn't want Cronus to win!

**Anya-Paradox**, haha thanks. I guess everyone has their pet character.

**PenCOTT-Writter9393,** I'm so, so sorry about the delay. Add writer's block plus long absence, and this happens. I didn't mean to keep you in suspense - oh wait, I did(: But well, I didn't want you to practically rip apart. Also, I thank you - you have been the first reviewer who has reviewed _twice_ for the same chapter just to ask me to update! That'll go into my books of memorables xD

To **Mew of Fire** and **.Invisible Nobody.,** thanks for reviewing too. I really appreciate it! Also, I think I want to release some little tidbits about the sequel. Been thinking it over, and I've written one of the sequences already. Eh, but you guys don't want me to say anything about the central themes and the parallel plotlines going on, do you? Yeah, I guessed as much. Let's keep the suspense as it is (hopefully you feel some sort of anticipation) and let's get on to the chapter again!

**Chapter Sixteen**

In all its age, time has probably been despised time and time again. Yet perhaps it has not been so strongly hated at another time like this:

"Jay? It's been ten minutes already..."

Archie looked up from his watch, his sentence left hanging. Ten minutes already meant ten minutes _left_. Having been made the timekeeper, Archie had the painful job of watching time slip by in his hands.

Jay gritted his teeth, his voice almost rising to a hoarse yell. "Just like Cronus not to give us another clue! We have no idea where to look, where to begin even... What kind of -" He broke off, barely refraining from using a word that he would have regretted using. He breathed hard, a twisted expression on his face as he continued, "place is this? It's so huge, we could spend hours searching it."

Atlanta didn't know what to say. They had actually stumbled open a lot of hidden passageways by triggering hidden mechanisms, or simply knocking on walls, but they yielded nothing. No Theresa, no Cronus, no Herry and Odie... It was enough to make an unusually determined person fall depressed.

"We'll - we'll find her, Jay," Atlanta said as an attempt of bolstering energy in their brown-haired leader.

Jay frowned silently without a reply, but they continued to press on tiredly.

* * *

_Clink. Clink. Clink._

Neil's eyes widened visibly and looked up from his mirror. At first, he thought it was all his imagination.

The 'clink' sound had started out soft and nearly inaudible, but now it was getting louder by the second. It sounded like someone was chipping away the stone from outside.

"Hey, is anyone there? Hello? Hello-_o_?" Neil tried uneasily. He slipped the mirror back into his pocket quickly and prepared a measly fighting stance that wouldn't fool anyone.

Bit by bit, he could hear the wall being chipped away. It was thinning faster now, and he could hear the sound on the other side. At first he thought it would be Jay or something, but common sense told him that they would have had replied to him at least - they weren't that cruel, were they?

Suddenly, he heard a smash and a slab of the stone wall broke off. The chipping had thankfully created a hole large enough for him to fit through if he crawled, and he gasped lightly.

Bending, he crawled out of the stone 'prison'. The pieces of sharp stone were piercingly sharp, and he winced, but he had more important things to worry about. For example, how in the world did someone break him out of all this stone?

Looking up, what greeted his sight was a figure in a long dark robe, with the hood pulled low over its head.

He got to his feet - and screamed.

* * *

"Jay, there's only three minutes left. What should we do?" From Archie's voice rang unusual worry.

Jay's blood ran cold. He shut his eyes briefly. If only a miracle would happen at this second -

"JAY! I found a button!" Atlanta's cry interrupted his reverie.

Jay hurried over. Time was ticking away with special acuteness...

The button was very tiny and inconspicuous, something that anyone might have overlooked.

"I don't know where it leads to, though. It may be a trap..." Atlanta's voice drifted off. She recalled the little accident about two minutes ago where the spears shot out of the wall.

Jay had a hard, almost-scary look on his face. "Press it, Atlanta."

Atlanta bit her lip and hit the button. And...

...Nothing happened.

Jay took on a frustrated expression. "Hit harder, Atlanta! We don't have the time!"

Atlanta was about to protest that she had hit it with a lot of strength when they heard a slight grating sound. It seemed almost similar to the boulder booby-trap earlier on.

She looked up but saw nothing. The puzzled faces of the boys told her they didn't see anything either.

Too late, they felt the ground shifting to nothingness. The grating sound had been the panel of stone, possibly, but Atlanta had no time to think about it. It opened so fast that no one had a chance to react.

"ARGHHH!" all of them screamed at the same time, Archie's hand reaching desperately for the edge. He felt the other two sliding down into the pitch blackness below him.

He wanted to scream Atlanta's name, but to his horror, he felt the place he had gripped was moving. As quickly as the panel of stone had slid away, now it was sliding back.

If it continued to close, Archie rationalised that his fingers would be stuck in there. Which did he prefer more? He realised that it would be better to die by falling. Much less painless, he thought.

Desperately he tried to lift himself. Still, the panel of stone was almost closed now. At the last minute, Archie took a deep breath, shut his eyes and let go.

Screams echoed all the way down the pitch darkness, but no one heard them.

The panel of stone closed off the hole like nothing had ever happened, as if the screams never existed.

* * *

Metis gave an enraged cry. "You _what_?!" Her cold eyes flashed angrily, and she jabbed a finger in Cronus' direction. "That wasn't part of my plan!"

Cronus rolled his eyes and gave an exasperated sigh. "So? This plan is _mine_," he mocked. He met her gaze defiantly. "In the first place, you're working for me, so I have full control over the plans. Secondly, when I told Jay and the others that Theresa was in a room that was going to cave in, it's one of the best traps ever set! Very far down, I made the button of the opening very obvious, and I planted a fake Theresa in the room. The room is triggered to cave in when it senses someone within two metres proximity to the 'Theresa'. It's a brilliant plan!"

The tall woman gave him a chilling look. "My plans are always failsafe, Cronus." She spat out the words with much comtempt.

Cronus crossed his arms. "Just wait. The plan worked, I know it did." A smug smirk slipped across his arrogant features, much to Metis' dislike.

Quickly Metis was learning that when she got her revenge on Zeus, she might just furiously strike back at the one who freed her.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Did you realise something about Cronus' plan? There is a link between Cronus and the teens falling into the hole - or rather, the absence of it. The description of Cronus' trap button and the hole button - do they tally? Here are little questions to jog your memory when reading the story, and to help you out in case you didn't notice accidentally. Anyway, I'll be updating as soon as my writer's block will permit. Do tell me what you think, please!


	18. Chapter 17

Here is the next installment. Since I keep repeating basically the same things in all my author's note, I shall leave it this time looking pretty empty like this. On to the review replies;

**She be the Inky Dragon**, hmm, your take about the differing descriptions of the buttons is interesting. Yes, you're right in that sense, and a pretty cool idea at that.

**elegos-sirinial-shamtul**, JxT, AxA and NxOC are there so there's something for everyone, so haha I don't think I can kill _anyone_ off for that matter.

**Invisible-Nobody.,** the button is to open a hidden passage, therefore they fell in. The cave-in is only set when they enter the place where the fake Theresa in. The sensors near the fake Theresa will detect their presence and therefore set off the caving in. Read on to find out what happens to the three heroes, though; with COTT nothing is ever as simple as it seems... Haha.

**Mew of Fire**, thanks for the well wishes, I hope the writer's block ends soon too.

**the fates of love**, haha thanks. In the first place, the real Theresa will not die by the cave-in because she's in the same place as Cronus. Well, you'll just have read the chapter to find out what happens to the Archie, 'Lanta and Jay though, they are the ones in possible serious trouble.

**4evacrazy**, oh yes, it would be so fun to see Metis kick Cronus' butt... Well, I'll see if I can stick it in somewhere. There might be a chance at the last part of the sequel, too. Well, at least I hope so.

**twiinklestar**, 'cum' (Chapter 8), according to the dictionary, is used to join two nouns or to show that a person or thing does two things or has two purposes. But I seriously don't blame you for noticing that, I should have known that it would be interpreted totally differently! Eek (:

The seventeenth chapter, here I go...

**Chapter Seventeen**

Neil's girlish scream broke the still silence that surrounded the cave, and was enough to obliterate anyone's eardrums.

The first thought that sprang immediately to his mind was a gh- Well, he preferred not to say it. He screamed like he always did; for what purpose, he didn't know, but he entirely succeeded in nearly deafening said cloaked person. The figure put his hand to his ears in an attempt to shield away from the piercing sound.

"Neil, stop!" It was a familiar voice that rung out.

He realised it sounded like a girl's. As she pulled down her hood, glaring with him with newfound irritation, he automatically noted it was Lyrea.

This was, he remembered back there somewhere in his head, actually the second time he'd thought she was a gh- uh, never mind.

Then he frowned suddenly. His memory of his instructions to her returned to him suddenly, and he hit her with a full-force glare. "You aren't supposed to be here!" the blond-haired lucky charm hissed rather ungratefully. "And what in the world are you doing with that cloak? You scared the living _daylights_ out of me!"

Lyrea rolled her eyes and pulled off the copper-coloured rugsack that hung off on one of her arms. It was rather saggy, yet Neil could tell at first glance that it was bursting full. She took up a chisel on the ground that he hadn't noticed, and she put it back in her bag.

"Well, I may not be one of the seven, but I'm fully capable too!" Lyrea heaved the bag off the ground and slung it rather awkwardly over her shoulder with a determined expression on her face (Neil, being the perfect gentleman, did _not_ offer to help her carry it). "I had a feeling you'd come here to the cave, since the only thing in the direction all of you were heading to was this cave. And knowing anyone, you wouldn't be able to navigate the cave, so I came to help."

Neil blinked, then crossed his arms. "What would you know about the cave that I don't?" he scoffed lightly. Ignoring the peeved look directed at him, he continued. "And anyway, why did you bring a chisel?"

Lyrea glowered at him. "I told you, I know all the secret passageways of the hotel. This happens to be the property of the hotel as well, though rarely explored, and my father showed me all the snazzy hiding places here when I was a kid. I know them by heart." She noticed Neil's slightly abashed expression with a smirk on her face. "Since I've seen what this Cronus dude can do, I thought I'd grab a couple of things - on my way out, I grabbed some rope, a knife, a chisel, some random things. I had to wear the cloak because I actually was scheduled to sing in the lounge, so I sneaked out." A sheepish grin lay on her face, but it only hid her game face - the face of adventure.

Neil opened his mouth to speak, but she predicted his question. "I do stone-sculpting. Besides singing, that's my passion. Well, it's heavy, and you can use it to, what, hit people...?" She trailed off, blushing a little at Neil's weird stare. "What? It was a random, instinctive move and I just, well, grabbed it. Anyway, I heard you in the stone, so I found a weak spot and chiselled a hole. It turned out useful, see?"

"I wonder what happened to Jay and the others. We - I mean, _I _better find them." Neil puffed out his chest in a Archie-macho way, which only made Lyrea bite back her giggles.

"And how exactly are you going to find them just like that?" Lyrea commented sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.

Neil gave her a triumphant look. "Try me," he challenged.

Lyrea stifled a groan. They were getting out of the point here. "I'd rather not. Let's just go find your friends, like, now."

Neil nodded, snapping back to attention. "Okay. If I were Cronus, where would I put Herry and Odie..." He hadn't known yet that Theresa was in Cronus' hands now, and Jay, Archie and Atlanta were practically at that very minute sliding into oblivion.

"Well, this cave used to be a war place, where prisoners were kept. Do you think he'd have used the main room to store them?" Lyrea asked thoughtfully. "There are torture machines there, too."

If there's one thing Neil had noticed besides his own good looks, it was that Cronus had zero amount of originality. "It's probably there. Lead the way, missy!"

Lyrea smiled. Brushing a loose strand of hair from her face, she remarked, "Now you're talking."

With that, the lucky charm and the metaphorical map quickly made their way down the hollow cavern space.

* * *

The source of a mere strain of light was cut off as the panel slid into its place. However, Jay, Atlanta and Archie were already so far down the pitch darkness of a 'slide' that they could see no form of light.

The incline of the slope was so steep that they might as well have been free-falling through the air. At times, they landed hard on their rear end, only to be flung left and right at the sharp twists and turns that lay in the sloping terror. It was worse than a roller coaster, and it didn't help matters that they could see nothing. Fear is usually of the unknown, and right now, they had no idea where they were going to end up, how they were going to fall next, or anything for that matter.

The only things they could make out in the dark were each other's cries.

To all of their horror, they realised they had been flying down the narrow chute-like cavern for oh-so-long. Then again, none of them wore watches, and even if they had one, they wouldn't be able to see the time. It seemed to go on forever, just like roller coasters did, but nobody knew how long exactly.

Suddenly, they felt themselves bump onto solid ground and the force pushed them off a small bump jutting out. They found themselves soaring through an endless space of black. Everything around them was just air, and they screamed.

_This is it_, Archie thought inwardly as they all plummeted down. _I'm going to die._

They were falling... Falling... And then, they hit hard ground. This time, it really was solid ground - too solid for their liking.

Atlanta connected with the ground first, an "Ow!" immediately escaping from her lips. The next thing she felt was a hard, warm body landing on top of her, an "Oof" that strangely sounded like Jay's voice. Lastly, the one who landed right on top of the stackpile was, she was sure, her purple-haired dork. The weight was so crushing that she cried out in pain, and yelled at them to get off instantly.

Both of the guys rolled off, groaning all the while. They didn't know how far down they had fallen, and were surprised they hadn't broken anything.

Slowly, all of them got to their feet. Archie glanced around, and, cautiously walking a couple of steps forward, bumped right into Jay.

"How long have we been falling?" Jay checked his watch, inwardly angry at the darkness because he couldn't make out anything in it, not even Archie, who so happened to stand just one feet away from him. "It's too late, isn't it."

It wasn't a question, really; it was a statement.

Atlanta could hear the hint of depression that laced his bitter tone, and she grimaced. The pale white face of Jay could not be seen but could be guessed.

There was thick silence. The bruises had cut their skin, but Jay couldn't feel anything. Numb. His heart thudded weakly from within him, and he could detect a trifle bit of shuffling on Archie's part as Archie moved, but he didn't care. Not anymore.

Out of the blue, they heard a sound of shifting. Archie, eyes widened, had opened a secret passageway in the dark.

"Neil's luck must have gotten to me," he kidded weakly. It had meant to be a joke - the team had always loved Neil jokes - but no one laughed.

There was a time in the world for everything. There was a time to have fun, a time to study, a time to be serious. There could even be a time to love - or maybe, to Jay, it was now a had been. But whatever it was, it definitely wasn't a time for laughter.

It was the resolute silence of death that lingered in the air for them, unaware that their friends lay in the same cave, alive and bleeding, but nevertheless still alive.

"Jay...?" Atlanta murmured. She breathed hard and reached out in the darkness, feeling for his presence.

She reached him, but then noted with a strangely sad feeling that she didn't know what to do. No, she did - she wanted to reach out and comfort him, tell him it was going to okay when it wasn't. She wanted to care. But she just didn't know how to; it was usually a job for her cheerful, psychic friend, for she played this job best.

In the darkness, lost was his voice. The atmosphere again lined the hovering, still air with awkwardness, despair and death.

Finally, he spoke. A sheen of determination radiated off him, and they could both sense it in the dark. Silent, quiet, Archie stood at the entrance, the door of sorts, waiting patiently for what he could guess might take forever, but he understood.

"Let's go." Jay's voice was different this time. It stood out in the dying hope of darkness; it told of a quiet vow. He would get his other friends out, no matter what.

He would grieve for Theresa, yes, he would. But to compromise his friends' safety just because of his girlfriend was absolutely wrong. They counted on him to be the leader, and he had to be.

At times, responsibility was too burdensome. However, he was tasked to do his duty, and he would do it to the finish. He would, if only for his friends.

Unshed tears threatened to sting his eyes, but he remained firm to his own rule of always appearing strong. No one could have a weepy leader; he was going to have to be strong for the rest of them.

He stalked out quickly of that entrance and the others followed hastily. They could now see a faint, dim light that glowed far away. Light, finally! Still, it was a bittersweet moment. Although they had at least found some form of light, their comrade had fallen. Jay, Archie and Atlanta could only pray that Herry and Odie hadn't fallen too.


	19. Chapter 18

Now I present to all of you chapter eighteen! Sorry for the many fillers I have been putting in throughout the story, although it was only to make the story flow a little better. Since I am way too lazy to reply to individual reviews for now, let me dish out to my reviewers some much-awaited cyber cookies cooked by Odie himself! Thanks, all of you who have read and reviewed this story - it's you guys who are my driving force in continuing this story. And for that, I am always grateful.

Okay, I have made this terrible mistake in the last chapter. I said Jay, Archie and Atlanta had no watches, yet a few paragraphs later, I said Jay checked his watch. I meant to say PMR, and I was careless. With thanks to **the fates of love** and her sharp eye for spotting it.

Also, in addition, I made Cronus allow something sick to happen to Metis. Please feel free to throw up the cookies I just gave you; I've provided a special bin for you. *places bin next to reader* Initially there was a much grosser way, but I settled for a more vague but less disturbing idea. After all, this is essentially one of the plotlines for the sequel.

**Chapter Eighteen**

Both of the channels looked the same, only that one led to the left, and the other to the right. And for the love of her, she had no idea which one they had to take to get to the main room. Call it poor memory, since she used to know, but now she really couldn't recall it back to her mind.

She paused suddenly, causing her blond-haired companion to crash right into her back.

"Hey!" Neil snapped irrately. With much aghast, he knew a couple strands of hair were out of place - he could feel it in his bones (or rather, his head). Whipping out his mirror and adjusting his messy hair, he asked, "Why did you stop so suddenly for?"

Lyrea frowned in concentration. "I can't remember which channel to take. Take the wrong one and we'll walk straight into one of the traps. Take the right one and we'll find the passageway to the main room."

Neil blinked, eyes going round. "And you can't _remember_? So we might just walk into one of them and well, die?" His voice became something like a squeak as he slipped his mirror back into his pocket carefully.

"Well, yeah," Lyrea replied a little sheepishly. So much for saying she could guide them both; right now, she was absolutely clueless.

Neil scampered off a few steps ahead of her, then stopped in his tracks. He examined both of the passageways intently. Finally, he turned around to face a puzzled Lyrea and announced triumphantly, "It's the left one!"

"Really?" Lyrea's jaw dropped in surprise at Neil's conviction in his theory. "How can you tell?" Then she realised it. Murmuring under her breath in slight annoyance, she said, "You don't know it, do you? You just made a guess."

"It's not just a guess," Neil replied with a pout. "It's a _lucky_ guess."

"Fat lot of good that does us," Lyrea answered with a glare. "Lucky guess or not, it's still a guess."

"No, you don't get it. I'm _lucky_!" Neil stuck out his lip in unhappiness. "Remember when Jay told you our origins and everything, he said I was a lucky charm?"

"And like any smart person, I didn't believe it." Lyrea's eyes twinkled with humour, and she rolled her eyes.

"Come on, I am!" Neil sobered. He returned to her side. "I don't really understand why everyone doesn't believe that I'm some good. I mean, fine, I love looking at my reflection - and who can blame me, I'm _beautiful_! - and I can't really fight. But deep down inside, I'm just like everyone else to a certain extent." A look of stubbornness passed over his face. "I'm just as good as any bloke off the block."

Lyrea bit her lip. Why did she, out of the blue, feel like he was partially confiding in her? This didn't seem like something that anyone would blurt out to just any 'bloke off the block'. She quietened down, realising that Neil wanted to be just as accepted as anyone else on the team.

"Would you believe in me? Because you'll be the first," Neil went on quietly.

Lyrea was just beginning to realise so much about him. He loved himself. His father had left him. Maybe this had something to do with this narcissm of his? He loved his friends. He wanted to be someone, too. He wanted to be treated like a proper member, like he was part of the team - something which she got the feeling that he already was, yet he didn't notice it. He was just like anyone else.

And she was starting to like him.

The last thought that sprung into her head so casually took her off guard, and she shook her head lightly. Since when did she start thinking such crazy, out-of-the-world thoughts? She couldn't like him - that would be just, just so, _weird_. Different. But then again, not necessarily in a bad way.

"Alright, fine, I believe in you. We'll take the left one," she said finally, refusing to look at him.

When she did, she saw the look of unbridled happiness on his face, and she couldn't help but grin. His funny streak was catchy; contagious really.

As they started down the left passageway, with her feeling a little antsy that they might just be walking straight into a trap, Neil suddenly spoke up.

"Hey, Lyrea?"

"Yeah?"

"Here, let me help you with that bag."

Both of them blinked again, this time in surprise. Did he really just say that? Did he really just grow an obvious heart?

_...Maybe he did._

He took her bag, then nearly lost his balance and fell over. "Why didn't you tell me it weighs a ton?" came a familiar whine.

"_You_ were the one who asked to carry it," Lyrea shot back.

_Then again, some things would probably never change._

* * *

Odie and Theresa watched weakly as Cronus paced the room. They could see the impatience burning on his face, his eyes the dark colour of red hot coals.

"We should be hearing some sort of caving in now!" Cronus fumed, crossing his arms in a slightly childish manner.

His eyes widened suddenly, and he turned sharply on his heel to face Theresa. Theresa could glimpse from her position a few feet away that Cronus was in his angry mode. The look he gave her could have melted solid metal, and a year ago, Theresa would have been frightened, but somehow now she felt no fear.

"You contacted them with your telepathy, didn't you?" The gravel crunched under his feet as he started to approach her.

A voice broke into the conversation. "No, she didn't."

Cronus whirled around furiously, knowing immediately who that voice belonged to. Metis, his supposed servant, the sharp-tongued one. This time, he wasn't in the mood for her to play around with his patience. Sending her a look that would have made any normal mortal shrink back, he spoke. "How would you know?"

Metis returned the dark look. "Because she's too weak! Today, she stopped one of the fire blasts, and then she held back a boulder. This is too much for her growing powers. And now, I am afraid you have blown any chances of destroying them!"

Cronus bristled. The thin line of patience that he had been harbouring snapped, this time with no trace of recovery. "I still have the three of the young heroes, don't I? Neil is trapped and Jay, Archie and Atlanta are probably lost! You, on the other hand, will be far from alright when I'm done with these teens!"

"Me?" Metis snorted with little regard for respect. "I am fully capable of defending myself, and..." A treacherous bout of discomfort struck her, and she felt thoroughly sick and nauseous. She flared up in anger from her doubled-over position. "What did you do to me, Cronus?!"

Cronus chuckled lightly. "Let's just say you are going to be bearing another one of Zeus' offspring again."

Metis clutched her stomach, fighting back the urge to throw up. "You, you -! What did you do to me?" She stumbled back in horror. Was she pregnant again? This nauseous feeling that struck her felt so similar to what she had experienced when she was carrying Athena.

"You see, you once gave Zeus a prophecy that your son after Athena would triumph over him, did you not? Zeus didn't want anyone to overthrow him." Cronus circled Metis evilly, almost like a vulture closing in on its prey. "You had given birth to Athena; you still held Zeus' second child. However, being in the prison, this birth was held back, and you didn't know! When I released you, the baby grows within you once more."

"N-no!" Metis cried out. She reached up, clawing futilely at Cronus' face but he moved away quickly. "You knew it from the start, after all!"

Cronus shrugged nonchalantly. "I was going to remove the child, but your insolence made it impossible for me to do so." His eyes glinted; yes, he knew he would have had the last laugh after all. "Since you have so kindly provided me with an excellent trap that have easily brought down three of our young heroes, I have no more use of you. Anyway, sending you back to Zeus' prison, or killing you, would be of no problem, but I think not. There are worse things than an imprisonment, or even death."

Odie had been watching all of this exchange with horror. It was times like this where he was reminded that Cronus wasn't just a childish, immature god, even though he could be. No, he was far more dangerous than that.

"The pain of bearing another one of the unfaithful Zeus' children will be enough pain in that," Cronus continued in an offhand way. "In addition, I am sure the prophecy will return, and all the gods will be against you."

Metis growled, drawing herself to her full height. However, Cronus had anticipated it to some degree, and with a quick wave of his hand, the thick, metal bars rose from the ground, imprisoning her just like he did with the other trapped teens.

Odie felt some pity for this Metis. Having heard of her from Greek Mythology lessons in New Olympia High, she had been the first wife of Zeus. But Zeus, afraid that their son would rule over him, had swallowed her whole. Icky, really. Then she was trapped in a prison, and now she had been betrayed by Cronus.

Still, she had plotted to kill them all, despite the fact they were completely innocent.

The only thing Odie couldn't understand was, if Metis was the goddess of wisdom, cunning and many other things, why had she not foreseen that the sick-minded Cronus had something up his sleeve? The only logical answer came to him almost instantaneously - she had been consumed by her anger and thoughts of revenge that she had been soundly blinded.

And as Odie gazed at Metis, who had crumpled onto the floor sobbing and cold facade broken, he realised that had been exactly the case.

* * *

Noiselessly, Jay, Archie and Atlanta slunk out of the passageway, and then they let their jaws fall in amazement. The ceiling was very high, and this part of the cave was undoubtedly the biggest and hugest. Yet it felt like there had been death in the air, and as they looked around, Archie recoiled in dread.

Machines littered the place, of which did not really mean anything to Jay or Atlanta, but Archie recognised these mechanisms from books he had read on war.

"What is it, Archie?" Atlanta asked, giving him a weird look as Jay and her continued walking to the entrance of another part of the cave. This part of the cave held her fascination, that is, until Archie spoke.

"This machine... It's called the iron maiden." Archie paused right beside something like an iron cabinet, which Atlanta thought was junk at first.

Jay glared at Archie for the delay. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

Archie ignored Jay's question. "It's a torture device and has an opening so that the torturer can interrogate the victim and torture or kill a person by piercing the body with sharp objects while the victim is forced to remain standing." He shivered lightly, backing away from the machine and accidentally bumping into another.

Atlanta's blood turned cold. _What kind of place is it?_ she thought to herself, disturbing thoughts starting to enter her mind. She didn't even ask how Archie knew all this information. "What is this machine used for?" she asked in spite of herself.

"This is... It's waterboarding. It immobilizes a person on their back with the head inclined downward and pouring water over the face and into their breathing passages." Archie now looked disturbed

Jay, on the other hand, carried a look of perturbation as he gazed up at one of the lower walls. Chains hung from the ceiling, and so did cuffs. _People hanging from the ceiling..._ He could imagine it already, and just the thought sent a chill running down his spine. From Archie's descriptions of the machines, he could guess this used to be a war torture place. He swallowed, thinking of his friends. Had Cronus tortured them this way?

He clenched his fists angrily. "Come on, we better get to Herry and Odie before it's too late." No way he was going to lose them, too.

The last of the team nodded and hastily left the room with their leader, leaving behind them the torture mechanisms that Lyrea had mentioned to Neil.

* * *

Herry strained at his bonds, grimacing at the uselessness of his strength. He hadn't eaten since goodness-knows-how-long!

He was beginning to doubt if his friends were alright. After all, it was taking them so long to get to Odie and him. (He was unaware that Theresa had joined them in the ranks of 'captured people'.)

Out of the blue, he heard a slight sound coming from the next cave. Thankfully, the giant guarding him - Agnon - had left a while ago, possibly to answer the call of nature, or to taunt him with another one of his worm sandwiches. On his guard, Herry gritted his teeth. He still had the use of his legs since they hadn't been chained down; after all, he would still be able to kick anyone who came by.

He was pleasantly surprised to see the equally surprised faces of Jay, Archie and Atlanta peer from the side of the entrance to the cave.

"Herry!" Atlanta whispered gladly, running to join her friend despite orders from Jay to stay put.

Ensuring that the coast was clear, both Archie and Jay quietly crept out of the other part of the cave.

"Where is Odie?" was Jay's first inquiry, whose eyes roving around the cave of sorts.

Herry jerked at the chains that held him again. "The next room," he said softly, pointing with his finger to the right. "Cronus is in there too."

Jay couldn't help but notice the irony of the situation. Cronus wanted them to find Theresa, but they found _him_ instead. Still, it was at the cost of his girlfriend's life.

Herry glanced over at all of them and noticed some of them were missing. "Where's Neil? Where's Theresa?"

"Neil, he's trapped somewhere at the entrance," Archie responded seriously. "And Theresa, she..." He paused, bowing his head and not knowing how to proceed.

_Theresa_. That name cut into Jay like a double-edged sword - more than any hurt he could have imagined if Cronus' sycthes had been thrust into him. The empty pit of his stomach served as a reminder, and his heart was once again numbed, maybe in slight disbelief. He had to remember what he was doing here. He was here to save the friends that she had quite given herself up to rescue, and he had to do it for her.

"Theresa is gone." His answer came out stoically, coldly, but his eyes betrayed him.

Herry gasped, shoulders falling limp. He didn't even dare to ask if it were real, for he saw Jay look away, their leader trying to mask the hurt.

Just then, loud footsteps broke rudely into their reverie. Agnon was returning!

All three dove behind a rock instinctively and watched as Agnon lumbered back, a smile of smug satisfaction on his face.

Somehow, they had to distract the giant, get into the other part of the cave, rescue Odie and destroy Cronus. Was that easy? No, it wasn't.

Archie peeked a look at Agnon. Herry had resumed his useless struggling, pretending that his three friends hadn't even approached him. There was about no way to run into the next cave without being spotted.

So how _would_ they do it?

* * *

Wow. I can't believe I wrote so much for one chapter. Well, I hope that satisfies all of you rightly enough. I mean, I put every single character in this chapter, which quite killed my fingers from typing so much. Still, it was worth it - rewarding to for once in a long time write this much.

First off, I would like to explain Neil for a while. Neil wanting to fit into the team, thereby making him seem like any other normal guy, suddenly came to me when I was writing this chapter. All his boasting, like when he captured Medusa by accident or when he was acting as a sacrifice to lure Talos into the volcano, suddenly rang in my head. Maybe, under all the narcissm and ego, he just wanted to be accepted. Guaranteed, it's a rather, say, _unconventional_ way of showing it, but sure, it could be that. And so, I decided to give Neil a little more depth. After all, he's probably not as shallow as everyone makes him out to be, so I would like to give him some credit, at the least.

Adding the torture machines in was a random decision, but it does set the tone of the story better. I mean, death hanging in the air, all those ominous things... This chapter is a lot darker than I expected it would be.

Lastly, just to make things a little easier to understand about Metis' myth:

_Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1. 20 :  
"When she (Metis) was pregnant, Zeus took the precaution of swallowing her, because she had said that, after giving birth to the daughter presently in her womb, she would bear a son who would gain the lordship of the sky. In fear of this he swallowed her. When it came time for the birth, Prometheus (or Hephaistos, according to some) by the river Triton struck the head of Zeus with an axe, and from his crown Athena sprang up, clad in her armour."_

There is a reason why this story is T-rated, you know. Also, my apologies for this extremely long author's note. Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter.


	20. Chapter 19

Alright, it's taken me this long to start typing away. Still, I wanted to post something for Christmas at least, so here I am, desperately giving the keyboard a good wearing out. I don't know what's wrong with me because there's this huge, unrelenting writer's block weighing down atop me, so I'm going to cross my fingers and hope for the best!

Anyway, **MERRY CHRISTMAS**! 'Tis the season to be jolly, therefore, wishing you an uber awesome, rightly enjoyable Merry Christmas!

**Chapter Nineteen**

"Jay, it's been ten minutes. Do you have any ideas?" Archie whispered, careful to keep his voice low to avoid being heard.

Jay, whose face had been a mask of intense concentration, shook his head lightly. His expression looked nothing short like he was having a severe migrane. Without quite answering the question, he once again peered out from behind the rock they were hiding behind.

Archie, too, followed his leader's actions. But all he saw was the same thing he had seen ten minutes ago - one giant, one Herry and one disgusting sandwich. Waiting so long was driving Archie nuts. Was Jay waiting for something? He had no clue of knowing, especially since all Jay had given him was a vague shaking of his head every time he popped the question. The giant was already distracted since he was _eating_, for goodness sake. They could have done something _ten long minutes ago_, but all they were doing at the moment was sitting behind a rock and trying to interpret their leader's silence.

Atlanta wasn't quite so impatient as Archie. Still, she was fidgeting with her crossbow and chewing on her lip, which Archie understood as her impatience to get out there and 'kick some monster butt'. Of course, she had remained silent - a likely reflex action since she surmised Jay would still be hurting from Theresa's death.

"Hello, Jay? Are you there?" Archie added in after a long bout of silence, crossing his arms. "Can you at least give us a solid answer to your planning process?"

Jay finally leaned back on the cool surface of the rock, his face grim. "I've come up with three plans."

Atlanta brightened and raised her crossbow excitedly. "That sounds promising," she remarked immediately, intent to start the fighting. Archie tried not to roll his eyes at her elated reaction.

Jay shook his head again. Archie noted that if Jay were to shake his head one more time, he would probably break the world record of shaking one's head the most amount of times in ten short minutes. "The plans are all very dangerous and it's not wise to execute any of them."

Archie nodded. "Alright, so let's hear them."

Jay hesitated for a moment, then pressed on. "The first plan is simple - we could all take a run for it. Chances are we'll get to halfway across the room before the giant notices us, but then we might get captured because it's too reckless. The second plan is the classic one where one of us distracts the giant while the other two sneaks across the room and into Cronus' room. Still, it's too dangerous because our numbers have already been drastically reduced to three, so we have less power and we're going to need all the strength we can get. Also, the distractor has to escape the giant, and since running away isn't a long-term plan, it probably will just end up in another one of us being captured."

Archie rubbed the temples of his head ruefully; the train of thought Jay had been putting forward was a bit hard to follow when one is tired and has just lost a best friend. "And the last one?" he said in unison with Atlanta.

Jay's shoulders slumped noticeably. "The last one... Well, if we play our cards right, it could work. But if we're one second too slow, it might backfire on us. We need all the luck we can get - and that's something we don't have, too - and the rest is up to us. It's a very simple plan, but so risky..."

Archie scowled. His patience was already wearing thin, and the line was about to snap. Anyway, Archie hadn't been a very patient person to begin with, and this waiting was starting to take a toll on him. "Well, then let's just do it! It's risky, but it's one of our only choices, isn't it?"

Jay squeezed his eyes shut. Memories ricoceted across his mind. _Herry and Odie, chained up. Theresa, dead. Neil in goodness-knows-where. Only three of them left._ This had turned out to be his worst nightmare! He was to be their leader - their fearless, plan-concocting leader. And so far, which part of fearless, plan-concocting leader had he lived up to? Absolutely none. His teammates deserved better. He had tried to do them justice, but he was failing his role - both as a leader, and as a friend. It made his heart wrench in pain.

"Archie, you don't understand. We might get captured because of this, and then after that we'll meet our end! We've already lost Theresa, and I don't want to lose anyone anymore. It's all my faul-"

"No it is not!" Jay's eyes shot open in surprise as he turned to gaze at Archie. "It has nothing to do with that fault, Jay, when are you going to get that in your head? Theresa died of her own accord, she died for us. She died for you, too! She trusted you. Why do you think that the team always goes along with any plan you come up with, no matter how wacky or crazy it might seem? Has it even occured to you that we would actually follow you to the ends of the earth if you asked us to? Did you ever wonder why?" Archie found himself snapping, with no form of control gracing his mind - or mouth, for that matter.

Jay could only find himself mutely staring at Archie. It would be an understatement to say that he was speechless. Completely, fully speechless. He opened his mouth but there had to be something wrong with his throat, for no words chose to came out. Not even a simple 'Sorry', or 'Why?'.

Archie blasted on, not even caring if the giant could hear the slight din he was creating. "Probably it hasn't crossed your mind why we would even choose to obey you. Yeah, so we have sometimes disobeyed your orders and all that, but anyway, we usually follow you. Not because Hera has decreed you to be our leader, it's because we know you're a good leader - with flaws, yes, but still a good one. Why would we follow you with such tenacity? It isn't just purely because of friendship, Jay."

The brown-haired leader's eyes widened slowly as he drank in every word Archie was spitting out like a machine.

Archie fixed Jay with a hard stare, the hard edge in his voice softening. "It's because we trust you."

Unbeknownst to the two males, Atlanta shot a headlong glance at Archie, smiling gently. How was it she was overcome with unmistakable pride that Archie did something so selfless? Archie's little speech seemed only like a little proclamation of faith, but she had a feeling it ran much deeper. She had always known that to a certain extent, Archie had secretly respected Jay, but would never admit it. Archie acted macho all the time, refusing to accept defeat or when he lost. Now, he was swallowing that _very same_ pride he had so he could encourage his leader and reassure him that his team would always be right behind him in every decision that he made.

Atlanta grinned to herself, sinking back a little so that she wouldn't disrupt the conversation. Yes, indeed, her purple-haired dork had matured in some ways.

Archie continued on, oblivous to Atlanta's smile. "Seriously, if you weren't a good leader and we didn't trust you, I wouldn't even bother following you." He stopped for a brief moment to snort inwardly at his harshness. Still, he didn't regret any part of it. After all, it was somewhat of a disguised, indirect compliment. "So, if we can trust in you so unfailingly, would you at least give yourself some trust?"

Finally, Archie allowed himself a careful look at Jay's reaction. His leader seemed a little taken aback by Archie's words - after all, Archie told himself with a little smirk, he was probably the last person on earth that Jay had expected this from. A shadow crossed Jay's eyes, an emotion that Archie couldn't quite identify. For a second, Archie wondered to himself if he had by any means crossed some invisible line, and swallowed hard, prepared to take some anger.

And then, Jay spoke up. His voice was already much noticeably different now, and maybe in all that darkness, Archie could finally sense some light, some hope that was given birth when Archie said his piece.

"Alright then, let's do this."

* * *

_Ping_!

Herry glanced across the room at his friends. Atlanta was swinging her arm and flinging something into the distance. Herry squinted, but he still couldn't make out the tiny grey thing that was hurtling towards his direction and the open torture machines room.

_Ping_!

Another one flew across the room and fell to the ground, but the sound was minimal. Herry glanced at the giant, worry already starting to edge onto his worn features. What were they trying to do, get themselves noticed?

Then he witnessed Atlanta stand up this time, heaving what seemed suspiciously like a rock - a fairly large rock. She swung her arm back, took aim and pitched it forward. After that, she ducked right behind the rock again, and Herry witnessed said rock crash right into the torture machines room with a loud crackling sound. Alarmed, he turned to watch the giant again, whom had looked up in shock.

Putting down the icky sandwich, the giant groaned aloud and got to his feet. At that moment, Herry saw Jay, Archie and Atlanta start crawling towards Cronus' room. He grunted a little as Jay shot him an apologetic glance over his shoulder and put a finger to his lips. He suddenly realised that the whole rock-throwing thing was probably some kind of distraction manoeuvre, a diversion of sorts, and he fell mum immediately. Of course, the fact that his friends were leaving him behind - without any food for two days, no less! - made him feel a tad bit uneasy, and he shifted, praying hope that they would come rescue him soon.

As the giant ambled slowly and reluctantly to the source of noise, Jay, Atlanta and Archie all but straightened up and sprinted across the room at the speed of light, their footfalls as soft as they could muster. Thankfully, the giant didn't sense the noise at all, and as the absolutely dim monster continued to peer into the torture machines room with a slightly confused expression on his face, Herry could only cheer his friends on and hope for the best.

* * *

"Eww! _Cobweb_!"

Neil grimaced in pure horror as he spit out bits of web that had inexplicably found itself into his mouth when he crashed head-first into a web. "This is too disgusting!"

Lyrea bristled; the typically annoying nature of Neil was already starting to get on her nerves. She was still thankful, though, that they had taken the right path. She hadn't been so sure about his lucky streak, but apparently it was quite real.

"We're almost there. Here. Be careful." Neil paused in his steps, and Lyrea took this as a cue to press a small, tiny, hidden button that Neil would probably have overlooked.

Neil gave her a questioning glance. "What do you mean by 'be carefu- WHOA!"

The ground started sliding, creating a gaping hole. As Neil started falling, he desperately clawed at the sides of the opening, willing himself not to let go. A little angered by the abruptness of the whole thing, he yelled to Lyrea, "You coulda warned me that something like this was going to happen! Now we're going to fall in, and die, or worse, my beautiful face will be ruined forever -"

Lyrea gave a glare that could have melted even the most beautiful of human beings. "Let go, Neil," she gritted out. She was also clutching on to the sides of the opening, but for a different reason: If she let go, she wouldn't be able to tell Neil that it wasn't a trap. Muttering under her breath with irration, she carelessly bumped him. "Let go!"

The opening was starting to close like it did with the three titans that had gone before them. Neil let out a startled squeak and finally, with a ear-piercing shriek that echoed all around the empty tunnel downwards and practically destroyed Lyrea's eardrums, he let go. Lyrea likewise loosened her grip and found herself spiralling down so suddenly. It was like a tragic roller coaster ride, something that she loathed with a passion, and she found herself screaming just as loud as Neil was.

She also noted with some worry that the tunnel had no existing cobwebs, meaning that somebody had been here - recently, as well, since spiders lost no time in making their cobwebs. Of course, she was too busy screaming to think of anymore.

Out of the blue, she felt herself fly into the air. If possible, Neil's shriek just got three decibels louder, and they were oh-so-suddenly free-falling through nothing. The experience was so frightening, though Lyrea had grimly remembered this little incident when her dad had shown her the place. As they continued their descent downwards in the sharp drop, she heard Neil shout out in fear, following a loud bang.

_Here comes the ground_, Lyrea thought to herself with a gulp.

One second later, she felt herself hit something soft. A muffled squeak followed soon after, and as she lay panting atop the soft something, pulled out the flashlight from her pocket. Surprisingly, it hadn't broken yet, and Lyrea thanked her lucky stars for its durability. Teeth chattering from the trauma, she switched it on, quite unable to move from the experience.

Of course, when she saw the soft something she was lying on, the trauma vanished and she got moving quickly - or at least, tried to.

Lyrea, out of pure shock, dropped her flashlight. It spun around, forcing light to move around a full circle on the darkness-cloaked walls. Neil, on the other hand, choose to make a very apt noise that matched his emotions - he groaned, if only in pain.

"Lyrea, I know I'm so attractive and all, but couldn't you have chosen a better place to land on?" Neil whined. "Now I'm covered in dirt _and_ I'm in pain. Great."

He probably hadn't quite noticed what in the world he was saying. All of a sudden, he was acutely aware that she was nothing short of sitting on his lap, and topping off on what he said, he felt his cheeks flush an interesting shade of dark red. Lyrea sported some blotchy pink spots on her face as well, though neither were the wiser, and in one quick movement, she got off him and turned away.

Neil stumbled awkwardly to his feet too, grossly embarrassed at the fact that he was embarrassed. He was good with the ladies, good with everybody, not someone who was marked out as the next social disaster, complete with blushing and not knowing what to say! Yet how was it that his cheeks were burning so hot that he could have been a pressure cooker? He shook his head lightly, disturbed with his lack of charm. Usually, at this moment, if Jay and Theresa, or Archie and Atlanta too, were in a moment like this, he could have sprouted off some wisecrack. But right now, in a similiar situation (only that it involved himself), he felt like someone was choking him, and absolutely no words could find their way to the surface.

"Let's get out of here, quick." Lyrea's voice came out first, and she bent down to pick up the flashlight.

Neil nodded quickly. If there was such a thing as a voice box, his was definitely jammed. He quickly heaved Lyrea's heavy bag off the ground, and without complaint (voice box jammed, remember?), he scrambled after Lyrea as she opened the secret passageway.

* * *

**Author's Note**: This time, I wrote Archie with depth! I am happy (: Okay, I shall explain a little more. If you have read **Bits and Pieces Chapter 3**, you can see a very obvious link. Anyway, I have always loved how there is a trust-based system with all of the team. I always have this weird knack of reading in between the lines for everything, even if there's nothing there. So I have realised that when Jay gives orders, even wacky ones, they follow. He is a good leader, albeit with his shortcomings too, but still a good leader. I also understand from the show that somehow, they all quite respect him. I can _so_ see Archie respecting him, yet not admitting to it. So, in a way, I'm giving him growth - now he looks out for the interest of others at the price of his pride.

Okay, I'm done! This chapter is also longer than normal chapters, yeah. I would shower you with twinkling stars if you would oh-so-kindly review, it would be one of the sweetest Christmas presents ever (: So please do, be it anonymous or signed, if you have the time!


	21. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: **Hello again! I may have seemed like I dropped off the face of the planet, but in actual fact, I didn't. (: I'm changing the layout a bit, because I thought that the old way of splashing an untitled author's note and then proceeding immediately with the story was a tad too messy. New Year's here, so well, it's always a time for change, eh? Before this story itself becomes too draggy, I will kindly permit myself to write the showdown that all of you _may_ have been waiting for. So here it is!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty**

"What _are_ these?" Neil wrinkled his nose in disgust, running his fingers over the smooth metal spike. The spikes jutted out of the machine, holding an ominous, gloomy feel behind it, so much so that even Neil himself could sense it. However, he chose to ignore it. "Spikes? They are _so_ last season - last century, even."

Lyrea rolled her eyes. She was sure to keep a safe distance away from those machines which she had come to know as torture weapons. There was something about them that deemed fear, although she knew it was rather ridiculous that she was somewhat afraid of inanimate objects. "They _are_ last century stuff - last century torture weapons," she responded slowly.

She saw Neil's eyes grow wide as he stepped away from the machines immediately. "Whoa, creepy."

"You can say that again," Lyrea commented dryly, before pulling him on. "Let's get out of here, and - shoot!"

Neil raised a delicate eyebrow. "Shoot?" he repeated uncertainly. Hearing the rumbling of the ground and the huge footsteps that were sure to have caused it, he realised it could be nothing but a giant. "Shoot!"

Yet it was too late to hide, and as they desperately attempted to dive behind one of the torture machines, the giant spotted them immediately. From his mouth came a fearsome growl. In no time, he approached, roaring and scaring the defenseless teens out of their wits.

"What should we do?!" Neil shrieked, not bothering to keep his level of volume down seeing how the giant had already found him.

The look of pure panic was unmistakable on Lyrea's face. "I don't know! You're the lucky one, aren't you? I have absolutely no martial arts skills or whatever!"

Neil paused. "You can't fight?" This promptly earned him a look that could have melted his mirror, and he quickly amended his sentence. "Well, I can't either. But anyway, what should we do?!"

Lyrea's mind scrambled for another alternative, yet all she drew up was a blank. All rationality had left her, and rightly so; even though she had been so excited to finally be on an adventure, the fact that they were facing danger was too scary to contemplate. Quickly she grabbed her bag from the squealing Neil, who let out another scream that momentarily made the unnamed giant freeze.

"There has to be something in here!" Lyrea shouted. A quick shove and she pushed the bag into Neil's hands, then started to search her bag. "What can we use, what can we use, what can we use...!"

Neil trembled - anyone could have seen how obviously his knees were knocking together. "Well, would you hurry then?" His deafening screech in Lyrea's ear made her wince all the more. "We're going to die soon, and we need some saving here!"

He looked up and made the ground shake by letting out such a sharp, girlish scream that Lyrea dropped her bag. The giant was barely one foot away from them, and his expression was far from friendly. The enraged, intimidating roar left its mouth again, and eyes glinting with fury, he threw his body weight on them.

In the nick of time, Neil seized Lyrea's wrist and the strap of her flimsy bag and dove out of the way. The giant instead crashed into the wall, and in using so much strength had only succeeded to knock himself out like a light. Neil and Lyrea successfully escaped his brutal attack. True enough, Ares had meant it when he said with practice anyone would drastically mprove - _lack_ of training threw Neil off balance badly, and screaming all the while, he fell, face-first. Dirt found its way to his mouth - his mouth _was_ to the ground, after all. He tried to sit up and spit out the offending objects, but before he could make any move, Lyrea landed on his back.

They barely had time to register this awkward position of theirs, and it went unnoticed. She, learning from her earlier experience that he didn't take to carrying people's full body weight, hastily moved off him. "Hey, are you okay?" she tried hesitantly. He didn't look too good - after all, landing on your own face would never ever be a good thing.

Neil immediately sat up and spat out the dirt. "Eww," he whined, looking horrified. "I can't believe I just swallowed dirt!"

"Well, I can," Lyrea muttered, and the sarcasm escaped his attention.

Groaning lightly, Neil pulled out his three-panelled mirror to examine his reflection. With a grimace he noted that his once-beautiful face was tainted with smudges of dirt. Still, he failed to rejoice over the fact that his 'amazing' face wasn't scratched at all. He also didn't stop to wonder at how he managed to escape such an inevitable fate since he hadn't too kindly fallen onto the ground.

On the other hand, Lyrea did. "How come you don't have any scratches?" Peering at him in amazement just served to prove her right. "That's physically impossible!" The exclamation fell on deaf ears.

"Oh, what can I say?" Neil remarked loftily, giving her a lazy smile. "I'm spectacular."

"You mean spectacularly _lucky_," Lyrea corrected in an admonishing tone.

Neil flashed her one of his charm smiles this time. "Same thing."

Lyrea took to rolling her eyes again for the thousandth time that day. "Let's get going, we're one room away from the biggest chambers where this Cronus might be in."

She was ready to all but haul him to his feet and drag him away. But he surprised her by putting away his mirror calmly and nodding. "We better get out of here before the giant wakes up." He clambered to his feet, oblivous to the shocked Lyrea. Wasn't this the part where he was supposed to be obsessing over his looks and forgetting about his goal?

Lyrea smiled. _Maybe not_, she thought as she pointed to the cavern. "Here."

* * *

Jay crept closely to one of the surrounding rocks and slunk behind it oh-so-cautiously. Archie and Atlanta followed closely behind, just as fast.

"I have the both of you now, and Herry in the other room. Neil is trapped near the front of the cave, leaving only Jay, Archie and Atlanta." The very recognisable sound of Cronus' voice floated over to where they hid, and with renewed energy, they listened hard. "Do you really think you can win me? Prophecies are nothing but lies, and it is only pure luck that you have won up till now. But after I capture the remaining _heroes_," he spat the word out violently, "I will do away with all of you, and you can watch your friends scream in agony as I torture them."

"You'll never win, Cronus! Seven of us still exist, and we will defeat you, just like the prophecy says!" A familiar voice snapped irrately, voice charged with steely determination... A female's voice, one that they would have been able to recognise from a mile away.

Gasping, Jay leaned back on the rock. Had he heard it wrongly? The voice had strangely seemed like Theresa's! For some reason, he believed it to be her, even if he knew it couldn't be. Theresa was dead. Theresa was _gone_. It couldn't be her.

Still, the excitement grew in him like wildfire. A quick glance at Archie and Atlanta told him that they too heard the similarities. Blinking, he resolved to listen to more of this interesting conversation.

"I believe your beloved Jay, as well as Archie and Atlanta, have perished in the deathly trap that I have set for them," Cronus cackled ruthlessly. They heard the shallow footfalls approach, and they tensed up. They needn't have worried, however, for that dreaded sound was instead growing softer. That clearly indicated he had walked off in the opposite direction. "Dear Theresa, I told them you were dead. Like fools, they believed me, especially our dear chum, Jay. It's either they're lost somewhere in the cave, or they fell for the trap in which I told them to find you."

Archie's eyes widened visibly, and then narrowed till they were almost slits. Atlanta witnessed Archie involuntarily clench his fist tighter till his hand became a deathly pale. "Well, let's see about that," he muttered darkly, mostly to himself.

Atlanta readied her crossbow, the anger spilling into her veins. Cronus, playing such a dirty trick on them... It was unforgivable! She remembered the pain that had stabbed her heart when she heard that Theresa was dead, and she couldn't begin to even imagine how their leader had felt. Cronus had not only used a trick on them, he had played with their feelings for their friends and used it against them. How despicable!

Growling fiercely, the only thing that held her back was the sudden appearance of Jay's hand on her arm. It was meant for restraining, and reluctantly, she calmed down and drew back, unaware that she had been advancing out of habit.

"Wait for my signal - when I say 'Good for you', move and attack him." The whisper was barely audible, but the two teammates heard it and nodded. The signal seemed a little strange this time, but they didn't bother to question him.

They waited for a while, wondering when he would give his signal. Somehow, they had learnt to follow his orders closely and not complain about their wait. Archie smiled to himself a little; Jay was back to his normal, leader-ish self, something which he was now thankful for.

Suddenly and very unexpectedly, Jay stood up and started running. This part of his plan was so very dangerous, but he trusted that his team would follow his orders. It quite amazed him that Archie's earlier speech had awakened some part of his self-confidence. Of course, he would have to work harder on trying not to doubt himself. Still, it touched him that they trusted each other with their lives. Now he would just have to cross his fingers and hope this part would work out.

Getting out from behind of the stone, he threw his sword at Cronus. It aimed to perfection and lodged itself into Cronus' back when he was turned. With a furious yell, the god whirled around. The blood red orbs sparkled with maliciousness and evil, and Cronus pulled out the sword from his back and threw it to the ground. The sword clattered loudly, and behind the rock, Archie and Atlanta shot each other worried glances.

Jay quickly dashed to Cronus' back just as he saw the flesh close up the wound. Cronus turned again to meet him with a sharp glare. "Ah, now the leader has come to join us, has he?"

"Cronus, even if some of us have been lost, we will never give up!" Jay snarled angrily, hoping his plan was working. He prayed that Atlanta and Archie wouldn't do anything rash. He shot a glance at the wall, noting that Odie and Theresa were there, hanging from chains. He smiled in relief when he saw Theresa. She was battered and bruised, but otherwise fully okay.

Cronus grinned a sickly evil smile. "What do you mean, lost?" he asked curiously, smugness highlighting his features.

"Where's Archie and Atlanta!" Odie looked at their leader; dismay and horror lit up his features.

Jay frowned and kept silent. He picked up his trusty xiphos with the speed of light, and with concentration, he took one step towards Cronus.

From behind the stone, Atlanta gave Archie a questioning glance. "Why is he talking about us like we are dead?"

Archie chewed on his lip in deep thought for a moment. Suddenly, he realised it. "It's a ploy to trick Cronus," he replied, a smile starting to form on his face. "A smart one, too. We better listen for that signal."

_He's distracted now_, Jay's inner voice yelled at him. He couldn't miss this chance because he mayn't get another one. "Well, you must be so happy, aren't you, Cronus? _Good for you_."

Cronus snorted. Out of the blue, a thin cord wrapped itself around him, yanking him down to the ground. Sputtering madly, he noticed the deja vu feeling that this brought forth. But then Archie was supposedly dead, and no one else wielded a similiar whip! He winced in pain when he felt a shot of laser hit his right shoulder, burning into his skin.

"It can't be!" Cronus growled. "Archie and Atlanta are supposed to be dead!"

"Says who?"

Cronus' jaw dropped as the purple-haired warrior, serious look and all, approached the god. Behind him was the red-haired huntress, who was grinning wildly with her crossbow cocked.

Cronus glared daggers at them. "You think that you've defeated me after wrapping me in a weak whip? You're wrong!" He reached out to grab the whip, pulling it violently.

Archie, taken off guard, felt the whip slip out of his grasp and Cronus burst free from the metal. Dark rage entered Cronus' eyes, burning like fiery coals, something would have made a mere mortal shrink back in fear. But not these teenagers, who were more than just mortals - they were heroes.

"Now let the real battle begin!" bellowed Cronus. Brandishing his scythes, he smiled evilly. "There's only three of you, Jay. You can never win."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Uh, cliffhanger? Sorry about when I said the showdown was going to happen here, because I misjudged how much I would write. I will try to update as soon as possible, but I have four essays standing in my way. Add the writer's block in and you get frazzled nerves, gah. Anyway, please do leave your feedback, it is much appreciated. Now, I shall scamper back to my essays and attempt to complete them. *dashes away*


	22. Chapter 21

**Author's Note:** I'm so extremely sorry for the delay! Homework, projects and exams swallowed me up, and well, only now I've managed to resurface, only to disappear soon again, because another round of exams are coming up and are threatening to kill me. Okay, not literally.

Anyway, I'm sure what you really want to read is not this author's note, but the story itself, so without much further ado, let the story begin.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Twenty-One**

Both of their jaws dropped simultaneously at the ridiculous idea.

"Like _that'll_ work," Lyrea commented, voice dripping with sarcasm, something that Neil failed to notice.

Herry, too, fixed Neil with a dubious stare. Of course, his doubt was well-justified; the idea was totally, incredibly cheesy.

Neil rolled his eyes, as though impatient at his friends' ignorance. Pacing up and down, he crossed his arms. "Just give it to me, will you?"

A subtle groan left Lyrea's mouth, and she reluctantly lifted her hand to her hair, pulling out the shiny black bobby pin that held back the fringe that framed her face. She held it out for him to take it, which he proceeded to immediately. "It won't work!" Lyrea insisted.

Neil grinned and reached out to Herry's chains. Pushing the bobby pin into the lock, he started twisting it around with sheer concentration, muttering to himself all the while. Suddenly, the "key" clicked in the lock, and the supposedly fortified chains fell to the ground with a clang - though so did Herry, without the clang, that is.

"You're kidding," Lyrea murmured disbelievingly. She was beginning to actually believe that he was extremely, infallibly lucky.

Neil flashed her a smug smile that said it all - "I told you so." Something about him watching it in the movies, but she didn't listen. She was too busy pondering about the whole idiocy of the situation as she absently took her bobby pin back and pushed it back through the locks of her long hair.

Herry got to his feet at that very moment, seemingly unfazed by what had just happened - after all, he had witnessed tons of lucky incidents involving Neil, so it came as really no surprise to him. "I saw Jay, Archie and Atlanta creep into Cronus' room, I think we better help them!"

"Good idea," Lyrea replied instantaneously.

Neil crossed his arms. "No, we'll go, you'll stay here."

"And why would that be so?" Lyrea challenged readily.

"It won't be safe, so you have to stay here."

Herry froze, freely allowing his jaw to drop again for the second time of the day. Had he really missed _that_ much from his two-day absence? So much so that Neil had grown _concern_ for other people? Yet it couldn't be so - just a couple of days ago, he could still recall the self-obsessed model checking out his reflection and insisting on his way.

Looking between the stubborn glares on both sides, Herry blinked. Then he almost burst out laughing at the absurdity. Could it be? That fierce expression on Neil's face hid something else - a deep frown of worry. _Concern,_ was it called? Goodness gracious, could it be that the narcisstic Neil actually... liked Lyrea? Herry raised his eyebrow at his own crazy idea. It was really too out-of-the-world, even for him. He shook his head again to clear the stupid thoughts that clouded his brain at the moment, instead choosing to try and catch the bits and pieces of the argument. Neil was currently calmly dismissing or refuting every single point in Lyrea's favour.

"Oh, and who made you the leader?"

"You can't fight."

"But neither can you!"

"I'm luckier than you."

Herry rubbed his temples. It was almost like Archie and Atlanta squabbling over the smallest matters (only Neil wasn't acting agitated), which wasn't at all a good thing. Again his mind reminded him that this might very well be a sign of the whole closeness deal. "Will the both of you just go already?" he uttered impatiently. At the moment, he decided to keep his not-so-pretty guesses to himself. He wondered how Odie would react if he heard this interpretation - laugh himself to death, perhaps? Herry winced but continued to forge on to the next room.

Lyrea and Neil glanced at each other and magically fell silent at Herry's call. Neil, still sulking, trailed behind the grinning Lyrea as the three of them made their way into Cronus' chamber.

* * *

"Watch out!"

The blade sliced through the air, dangerously close to the side of his face. The speed and violence of the missed blow whistled in his ear, as though reminding him that he almost lost his life.

Jay stumbled back. He was now the object of Cronus' wrath-filled attention, and now as he dodged blow after quick blow, his stamina was dipping lower by the second. Now what charged Cronus' agility and strength, he had no idea, but he did know that Cronus had seemingly started to take things to a whole new level. The battles of the past could hardly match up to the determination that was displayed to him time and time again as Cronus slashed about.

"Hurry, both of you!" he yelled, frustration rather than impatience clinging on to his every word. After all, he hadn't even had time to feel annoyed at how long Archie and Atlanta seemed to be taking. He dived to the side just as the scythe closed in, blade gleaming ominously in the light.

"Am hurrying!" Atlanta shouted back, glaring at Archie who brandished his whip. "Well, what are you waiting for, slowpoke?"

Archie chose instead to ignore her rather than waste the few precious seconds that Jay was buying them. He pulled back his arm, concentrated and aimed. The whip crackled in the air, landing directly on the metal cuffs that bound Odie to the wall. Odie shuddered and instinctively closed his eyes; luckily Archie's aim had been perfect. Not so lucky was the fact that the metal refused to budge. All they could see was a slight scratch from the whip that supposedly could cut through anything.

Cronus paused for a moment. His eyes radiated a deadly cold anger, something which Jay had not witnessed before. Fire burned in his eyes, and for a split second, Jay inadvertently felt a chill run down his spine.

"I've waited long enough to see you heroes fall." The words were heavily laced with poison and unbridled anger. "Time and time again, you measly _teenagers_ have foiled my plans. But I will be humiliated no longer."

The god turned to face Archie, and a cruel laugh echoed around the cave that was his. "The metal is reinforced and can only be broken by a god. And you, dear Archie, aren't a god."

The blade shimmered again the light, and the words that Jay had wanted to retort plunged back down his throat. For once, he felt a stab of fear emmerse him, heart thudding louder than a drum. He badly wanted to move, and as much as he willed himself to dodge, nothing happened. The world seemed to slow down, and in the background he heard distant screams from his friends, and the sands of time in the hourglass seemed to be defying gravity.

Then, all of a sudden, a small rock came flying out of nowhere and hit him smack dab in the face. The look of rage on Cronus quickly morphed into one of confusion, and being taken off guard, he yelled, stumbling back slightly.

"Would you just stay off Jay, you whacko!"

Neil's familiar voice drifted to where he was standing, and Jay looked up in surprise, time seeming to flow back to normal again. Neil had just saved his life? Not that he never credited anything to Neil, but Neil was the last person on earth he would have expected to have saved his life.

Cronus let out a roar, picking up the sycthes he had just dropped and swung it at Jay again. But this time, Jay was prepared - the xiphos was in his hand, ready to strike, and metal met metal as the resounding clash echoed throughout the entire cave.

"Sheesh, anger management issues much?" Neil murmured under his breath, soundly unaware of the incredulous looks his friends were shooting in his direction at his earlier weird but sufficient save. "Lyrea, your bobby pin?"

Lyrea wordlessly handed it over, dumping her bag unceremoniously to help as she pulled another one out of her hair.

"What's that for?" Theresa asked quietly, staring at the two of them.

"To unlock the chains," both blondes replied simultaneously, holding up the bobby pins.

Since when did Neil talk in unison with somebody? Theresa just had to wonder as she silently thought it out in her head. Suddenly, a soft smile started growing on her face at the whole realisation. At the same time, she knew didn't quite mind Lyrea, although she didn't know much about her at all, but she seemed to be a decent person at the least.

Atlanta, on the other hand, burst out laughing. "Neil, that won't work. Archie's whip couldn't even cut the chains, and you think a bobby pin will set Odie and Theresa free?"

Neil shrugged. "Watch and learn." He pushed the bobby pin into Odie's lock despite the African American's pointed look, turned it and suddenly, Odie found himself sprawled on the floor, body aching but finally free.

"You gotta be kidding me." Odie blinked, as though not believing it all, and got to his feet. After all his efforts to escape, Neil and one bobby pin saved the day... It was almost unbearable for him to accept.

Lyrea did likewise with Theresa's lock, and soon Theresa landed squarely on both her feet, being freed. Casting a glance at Neil, a little wave of surprise coursed through her. Neil had changed, and they had been quite oblivious to it - until now. She smiled again, though no one noticed.

The huge clash of metal from far was a rather rude awakening to their current situation, which they had all convieniently forgot. If possible, Cronus' each strike were more charged with fury and power than before. Jay was bravely ducking every blow and attempting to send back a few stinging ones in return.

Without even waiting for orders, Atlanta and Archie flew out into the battlefield of sorts, Atlanta with her crossbow and Archie with his whip tightened in his clutches. With that, they joined the deadly combat that ensued between the teenagers and one immortal god.

A groan slipped out of Theresa as she placed a hand on her forehead, suddenly feeling the immense tiredness seep into her very system and cloud her mind. Stumbling haphazardly towards the wall, the headache that throbbed hard within her all but forced her to collapse to the ground, her back to the cave wall; slumped.

"Are you alright?" questioned Odie immediately, gazing concernedly in Theresa's direction.

The blurry image of her friends danced across her weary eyes, as if her worn and tattered body had at last registered the final blow of the lack of energy. Effort to move had to be painstakingly drawn out with utter determination. She managed a shaky smile, nodding all the while and muttered, "I just need... some rest... Leave me here to be for a while. Go join the battle and help Jay."

Herry and Odie exchanged glances, and Lyrea readily spoke up. "I'll stay here with her."

"Yeah, good idea." Odie's face took on a more serious tone. "It'll take all of us to win Cronus, and even with us seven, I'm not too sure we can do that."

The solemnity that existed in the atmosphere was almost chilling, and Herry cracked his knuckles in anticipation of the battle.

"Let the _real_ fight begin."


	23. Chapter 22

Author's Note: I know everyone's going to kill me for not making an appearance sooner, and I'm really sorry, but I'll have to take things slow from here. It's going to be getting worse in terms of how busy I am soon, but I will try to update.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

The tussling began, and the weapons flew about. Cronus had to admit to himself that the kids were getting better at this, and very soon perhaps they would even rival some of the best mortal fighters in his time, but that was all it could ever come to. They were mortal, after all; they would never win against him. He triumphed over all, and he wouldn't die -

Caught up in his thoughts, a stinging in his right ear grew apparent. He stumbled backwards, confusedly raising a hand and touching the spot where his ear was - or rather, where his ear had been. Snarling in anger, he brought up one blood-riddled hand and slashed violently as his ear automatically healed itself. No matter, they could never mortally wound him! He ducked the whip of the insolent Archie, then grabbed it and swung hard, causing the purple-haired boy to slam into his pathetic leader. Atlanta jumped into the fray, getting a hand-up from Herry, but Cronus was too quick for her - he yanked her foot and sent her sprawling right at Herry.

Metis had been silenced, he thought with utter glee, his foes were reduced to a mess and he was winning. He was honest-to-goodness winning. A cruel grin spread out over his face as he surveyed the damage that he had done. Neil was standing by another mortal, particularly un-special woman and holding her back as if to protect her, Theresa was crumpled in a heap by the wall, Atlanta, Archie, Herry and Jay were all on the floor, in a much worse position than Theresa, and Odie -

Where was the boy? A sudden sense of frustration started to boil within him, bubbling and bubbling till he was fit to explode. He knew what kind of damage that boy was capable before, and he had seen it before. He almost had a feeling that Odie now would help unravel all his carefully set plans, and destroy the foundation he had taken so long to build.

His eyes roved over the cavern hastily, glancing at every little corner. And then he saw the boy, holding up a tiny object and running towards Metis' cage.

"Stop!" he barked, but Odie paid no heed. Of course he didn't listen.

The Aftican American boy halted right in front of the cage. "This, Cronus, is for your long, boring speeches!"

"Why, you-!" Cronus started, but he didn't bother to finish. He was more worried about what the boy was planning to do. Surely he wasn't trying to unlock the cage? Only he had the key, which he had wanted to taunt Metis with when he was done dealing with the seven teenagers and their extra brat. It was impossible to unlock a magical cage otherwise. "You'll never open the cage if that's what you're thinking!"

"Think again," mocked the infernal boy, holding up once again that thing - it was a piece of metal? "Say hello to what we call a bobby pin!"

He shoved the makeshift key into the lock and turned and twisted valiently as Cronus looked on, half torn between bursting out into laughter and the other half thinking whether he ought to worry now.

But then all too suddenly, the lock made a strange creaking noise, and the caged bars fell down. Metis stood up slowly, devoid of tears now, as if she had cried all of them away. There was something in her gait as she rose that suggested cold cruelty and burning rage, clashing together to bring a most terrifying meld of emotions that made Cronus shake. She opened her mouth, mouthing softly words under her breath that he couldn't hear (and that chilled him all the more), finally punctuating it with a shout that could probably make his giants melt into a puddle.

And then the world fell down.

* * *

Odie's face broke into a grin as he gave Neil a thumbs-up. "I can't believe it worked!" he yelled over, oblivious to Metis as she rose. "You were right about the bobby pins!"

"Aren't I always," Neil replied rather smugly, and Lyrea nudged him a little as if to say that it was _her_ bobby pin after all, that saved the day. He gave her a mindless shrug, but continued beaming. "Yes, yes, Lyrea, it was your bobby pin, but I thought of it. I'm such a genius!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Lyrea grumbled under her breath, though she was loathe to admit that he was right. He _was_ the one who came up with the rather not-too-brilliant plan, and it had worked like a charm. Maybe he was incredibly lucky as he claimed to be. He sure had proven himself to be a most lucky fellow since the time she had met him. "You really have an ego too big for your -"

Whatever she had been meaning to say was utterly shattered by the shout that shocked her to her toes. Metis had gotten up, and she was now striding purposefully towards Cronus, it seemed. She was even more frightful than Cronus himself, she realised as she grabbed Neil's sleeve and yanked him away just as a huge stalgamite fell from the top of the cave. It crashed into the spot where they had been standing a minute ago, and the force knocked the both of them off their feet, with Lyrea landing right on top of Neil.

She should have been shaken, and she was, but she couldn't resist jibing him. _Just a little._ "Well, I just saved you," she said teasingly as she got off him. "Any thanks?"

"Many thanks," Neil replied, albeit a bit sarcastically. He looked a tad miffed, and Lyrea for a moment was afraid that she had offended him. But when he cracked what she know grudgingly called a devastatingly handsome smile, she knew that her comments had just bounced right off him like they always did. She was in the midst of contemplating why she would actually _call_ him devastatingly handsome - if only in her head - when suddenly, _he_ grabbed her sleeve and pulled her out of harm's way.

"And I just saved _you_," he said just as teasingly and cheerfully as he took out his mirror and started to gaze at his reflection. "Any thanks?"

Lyrea was about to come up with a smart-mouthed reply when Herry smashed away one of the falling debris that had threatened to do them in. "Hey! Don't just stand there and talk, there are two crazy gods here!"

Just then, a infuriated roar burst from Cronus. "No! I've worked so hard for this; I am not going to let any of you undo this!"

Neil, Lyrea and Herry watched in horror as Cronus side-stepped the fuming Metis, whose hands were still flaming from substantial power, and marched on to one of the fallen heroes. He grabbed Jay's shirt, hoisting him right off the ground so that they met eye to eye. Atlanta and Archie rushed to stop him, but only got thrown back by one hand on Cronus' part.

"I will do away with you, right now," Cronus spoke in a poisonous whisper as Jay's eyes widened. "And at least I would have accomplished something."

Lyrea bent down and quickly snatched something out of her bag in a hurry. Then she tapped on Herry's shoulder and shoved the heavy thing into his hands immediately. "Quick! Do something with it!" she urged earnestly, as the scythe was coming way too close for comfort to Jay's neck. A trickle of blood had started to flow, and Jay winced. Cronus was clearly enjoying this.

Herry didn't need to be told twice. He swung his hand back in a wide arc, and with all his strength, he threw it. It flew over everyone's heads, and then it descended on Cronus, knocking him smack in the head. It was a completely horrifying sight as the chisel dug into his skull, exposing bits of bone. The blood began to pour out from his forehead. With an enraged cry, he dropped Jay unceremoniously and clutched at his pained head, the scythe also likewise slipping from his hands.

Now, even more rocks were starting to pelt down on top of them, raining down on the stony scenario. "Let's get out of here, Jay!" Archie screeched from not too far away. "This place is going to fall apart!"

The leader scrambled to his feet as quick as lightning, and so did everyone else. Herry ran over and quickly lifted Theresa, who happened to be drifting in and out of consciousness, up into his arms and all of them ran as they had never ran in their entire life. They had missed their chance of killing Cronus, they knew, but it was better than doing it at the expense of their lives. At least not for now; defeating the god could wait for another time.

Cronus clawed around futilely, the pain overwhelming him and leaving a burning trail wherever he touched. The chisel lay on the floor, forgotten; and Cronus started to shout - shout his vows of promise that he would bring the heroes down. The seven mortal teenagers that had constantly beaten him and even caused him such pain.

As he was screaming and the walls were falling down, no one noticed the shadow that stole away outside the cave, running helter-skelter for shelter as well and remaining well-hidden from the heroes. "Until another day, Cronus," it - _she_ - muttered furiously as she slunk away.

* * *

"Run!" Atlanta yelled over the ruckus. The rocks were falling all around them, and they had to take great effort to dodge.

"We _are_ running!" Neil shouted in return as one of his shoes scuffed a rock. "I'm damaging all my clothes as it is!" If anyone had looked closely, they would have noticed that he was, all things considered, holding Lyrea's hand in a painfully tight grasp as he manuevered clumsily back and forth from the pelting rocks.

"Neil, which is more important - your life, or your clothes?" Lyrea couldn't afford to roll her eyes; just looking away for one second could mean death. But somehow, with Neil tugging insistently at her hand and her in the most dangerous point of her life, she couldn't bring herself to feel totally scared. The exhilaration and the thrill was intensely throbbing from within her, filling her with a warm excitement that she hadn't felt in _years_.

Neil paused awhile to think about Lyrea's question, then answered hesitantly, "My life."

"You had to _think_ about it?!" Lyrea screeched right back, not knowing whether she should resort to horror. Neil had just hesitated over whether his clothes or his life was more important. And she actually... _liked_ this guy? The horror of it all.

Oh wait, had she just admitted loud and clear to herself that she liked him? Was that true? How could she actually like a narcisstic, egoistical, cowardly, strange, unorthodox...

..._Loyal, cute, like-minded, deep-down-caring_ weirdo?

Oh, she was in, hook, line and sinker. And that was scary enough as it was.

As Lyrea shuddered visibly had anyone happened to see her, Neil was running through some other thoughts in his head, and most of them pertained to the person whose hand he was holding. Over the few hours, a warm emotion had permeated him, and it was so foreign and unidentifiable that he was almost afraid to put a name to it. He had never felt this way before, after all, and it both unsettled him and made him uncomfortable - but strangely enough, in what he could term a good way.

They were fast approaching the entrance of the cave when they witnessed its collapse. If they had listened carefully enough, they would have heard the cry of pure anger emnating from the very core of the cavern, down its narrow paths and tricky ways. But they did not, because they were mostly trying to find a way to escape and survive. They had barely stumbled out into the fresh, glorious daylight when the cave really did a full crumble. The earth shook in a most frightening fashion, and Theresa, now awake, clung on to Jay for all what's worth in the feeling of weakness that she couldn't shake off. But they managed, and none of them fell. They were so incredibly lucky - they had actually made it out alive.

"We won," Jay breathed, a geniunely wide smile breaking out on his face. He turned to his teammates, and then they all could see now, in proper light, what the worry had done to him. It had taken a toll on his features, and his eyes wore a haggard, weary look that seemed to carry ten times as many burdens than a person should actually carry. It almost made Theresa's heart break.

Archie pursued his lips in thought for a moment, then spoke up. "Who knows what Cronus has in store for us next?" he asked wryly, dusting the fresh snow of his parka.

Atlanta slipped her hand into his comfortably and smiled at him. "At least we made it through this round."

"We made it back in one piece, so we should be glad for now," Theresa agreed, a new sparkle in her eyes despite her inability to even maintain a straight posture. She then turned to Lyrea, and a rather naughty grin framed her face. "And thank you too, Lyrea, for helping us, and most importantly, helping Neil." The way she said Neil's name was so coated in sugary sweetness that Lyrea couldn't detect the slight teasing quality behind it.

"Uh, well..." she said, suddenly nervous and fidgeting. Now what could she tell a bunch of strangers? Thank them for the adventure? She snorted in her head. _Yeah, a likely solution._

"Let's get back to the hotel," Odie suggested, unable to hold back a yawn. "I've had enough for two days and I need a break. A good, long nap for starters. Chains aren't a great way to get some sleep."

And so they returned to the hotel. As they disappeared into the forest, a dark blur of a shadow likewise slipped into the foliage, and meanwhile, from the rubble emerged another furious figure, who promptly vanished on the spot as well.

* * *

Author's Note: Well, one or two more chapters to go to wrap things up and tie up the loose ends. I'm sure you would like to see the Neil/Lyrea issue resolved, won't you? And also, two different people have escaped, and this is about to set off a whole new line of trouble in itself. Please do review and let me know what you think; your feedback is precious to me as my reader (:


	24. Chapter 23

Author's Note: Last chapter here, and then one more Epilogue to go before wrapping up. (: I did this while listening to **Accidentally in Love** by **Counting Crows**; it's an awesome song, I think. I would love to know what you think about this story, be it annoyance at the portrayal of a character, the plot, or whether you liked something or not. So please review, and thank you for reading.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

It was weird - they had defeated Cronus, at least for now, fended off a crazed goddess who presumably had been trapped in the collapsing cave, but he still felt a little unfulfilled, as though there was something left to be done but he hadn't done it anyway.

Neil glanced up from his position at the dining table, watching Theresa and Jay snuggling up upon the couch, Odie fooling around with his computer and Herry devouring his third meal of the day even before the clock had struck twelve. Archie and Atlanta were out skiing - you'd think they'll have learnt about the dangers of skiing, but no - and he was here, sitting mutely by the table. They all had something to do, and seemed perfectly content, so why did he feel so bereft? It didn't make sense at all. He started rapping his fingers impatiently on the glass, leaning back and trying to think. He paused for a moment to examine his nails carefully. Nope, not the nails. He had already fixed them up and they looked better than ever, he thought to himself with a pleased expression on his face. Then was it his hair? He consciously smoothed back his hair, and found that it was stellar as usual. He smiled to himself. Well, the hair was intact.

Then what was it?

Maybe he knew, but he was afraid to voice it, even if it was just a mere inner voice.

"Neil!" He heard someone call his name, and his head snapped up. It was Theresa, and she had left Jay on the couch to peer at him intently.

Neil shrugged his shoulders boredly, and the nagging feeling practically hit him from behind, especially with Theresa's questioning glance that seemed to see right through a person. "What?"

"Your mirror," Theresa said with no small wonderment in her voice. She held up the intricately carved mirror. It was one of his favourites - he must have left it on the living room table, because Theresa found it. "Neil, you left it behind and you didn't kick up a big fuss about it!"

Neil swallowed. Was that all his friends thought of him? He frowned bemusedly to himself, but then Theresa interjected his thoughts suddenly. "Good job with saving the day yesterday," she said with a really broad smile, and his mood lifted. "I'm not trying to fluff up your ego, but you actually did a pretty half-decent job this time."

Neil smiled, and was about to reply when Theresa added, "We'll be leaving tomorrow, though, so aren't you going to say your goodbyes to someone?" She smiled so mysteriously and knowingly - and how's that possible, even, since those two traits combined were practically paradoxical! - that Neil felt like he was squirming inside.

There was really no point pretending, so he merely said in response, "You mean Lyrea?"

Theresa rolled her eyes and then she smiled again. Neil shuddered to himself. "Yeah, Lyrea. Don't pretend, Neil, she's at least a good friend to you."

"At least?" Neil tried to play dumb, and then realised to his own horror that, well, why would he feel the need to play dumb unless he felt... _something_... for Lyrea? "What do you mean 'at least'? Wait, don't answer my question."

Theresa gave him a stern look. "You know it for yourself, Neil. It's your choice anyway, you can either choose to say a few parting words to her at the very least, or you can just go home and forget. It's up to you."

Neil winced. He hated being backed into a corner, and now was a pretty good example of that. Playing the guilt trap, hmm - Theresa was always insanely good at it. She was so good at it that even when you knew her intentions, you still felt guilty anyway. "I - I'll think about it."

Theresa shot him another warning glance before leaving to return to Jay, leaving Neil thinking.

* * *

"Hi Lyrea. You know, I don't know if you were thinking this, but - I like you. A lot. And I don't mean just, uhm, friend-liking."

_Ugh, it sounds like I'm in kindergarten._

"Lyrea, before you say anything, I like you."

_Utterly desperate. No way._

"Hey, bet you didn't know I like you!"

_Too casual, she'd probably laugh in my face._

"Aren't you honoured that such an awesome person like me likes you?"

A chortle behind him made him freeze, because it could only belong to someone who would undoubtedly give him a hard time over this -

_Archie_.

And sure enough, when Neil turned from the mirror, the purple-haired jerk was laughing and laughing as he leaned on the doorframe. Neil scowled, and tried not to be embarrassed. He was rarely embarrassed, but this had to take the cake for one of the most classic, embarrassing things he was ever caught doing since the last time he peed in his pants when he was two.

"And you used to make fun of me when I did that with Atlanta," Archie said between bouts of laughter, and Neil half-debated pretending Archie wasn't there. And he did that, turning back to the mirror and preening and trying his best to fake that just a moment ago, he was just doing that - _preening_. Hopefully Archie would stop and realise that he was probably acting madly and being delusional and was seeing things, and then he'd back away and run and then Neil could run and hide in a hole before Archie remembered that he never had a mental illness history to begin with -

"Neil, stop faking it. You know I saw that," Archie said, frowning slightly, and Neil sighed dramatically. Well, it _had_ been worth a try.

Neil didn't say anything, so Archie continued. "You know, I never expected you to like someone else. I mean, you're always admiring yourself all the time, and you only care about yourself." Archie seemed to realise that that seemed like a rather insensitive thing to say, even to a person like Neil, so he quickly corrected himself, "And about others, too, as seen from yesterday."

"Well?" Neil said, and then to Archie's surprise, he slumped to the floor as though he was a melting puddle of oodling mess. "So what do I do now?" His bottom lip stuck out in a miserable fashion, and it seemed to Archie that Neil was actually pouting. "I don't want to like her. I want to be normal! I don't even know what I'm supposed to do."

Archie raised an eyebrow. "Just tell her, you idiot."

Neil glared up at him. "So says the one who took, what, a _year_ to even stutter out his feelings for the girl he loved?"

Archie rubbed the back of his neck in his most sheepish impression. "Well, yeah."

There was a momentary, slightly awkward pause, and Neil suddenly asked, "Should I even tell her?"

Archie crossed his arms. "What do you think? _Yes_."

A beat, then: "How?"

It was Archie's turn to sigh. "You're asking _me_? The one, who, quoting you, "took a year to even stutter out his feelings"?"

Neil bit his lip. "Point noted. But," he continued, looking pointedly at the doorway, "if I ask Jay, that would be even worse, wouldn't it? He ended up admitting his feelings during Truth or Dare, and that's not exactly how I want Lyrea to find out about it." (A/N: See the prequel to this story, **A Random Christmas Story**.)

"Just say it," Archie said finally. "Say it simply, with no addition of egoism." He ignored Neil's furrowed eyebrows at the word 'egoism'. "And then that's it. Whether she reciprocates is, well, I don't know, up to her."

Neil's eyes widened. "Reciprocation?! I totally forgot about that."

"You thought she'd just automatically like you?" Archie asked dryly, then he paused, and with a smirk, he added, "I guess the answer is yes." He rolled his eyes, and while Neil's eyes were growing wider and wider at thoughts of the implications of being rejected, he quickly amended, "But you shouldn't bother about whether she returns the feelings. It's not like you're going to see her for a long time again, and anyway, I thought you'd think you're awesome enough to withstand anything - even rejection, hey."

"Well, think about it," Archie said seriously before turning to leave. It was almost remiscient of Theresa's earlier words. "You only get one chance, y'know."

* * *

It was the day of leaving, and it seemed like such a cheery, bright morning - though it wasn't really, because Neil had made his decision. As much as he loved himself, he wouldn't want to risk any form of rejection.

Inwardly, his insides felt like they were being twisted into a gangly knot whenever he thought of the word. Rejection. It stretched far beyond any relationship, and went back deeper into his roots than he imagined. It was like opening old wounds and pouring salt water on them, and it hurt like crazy.

He remembered his father, and how he left so abruptly and without another word. It was hard enough, and for this thing that actually mattered to him, he was almost afraid it would crush him.

The thought sickened him, so he filed away for hopefully no more future reference. He paced around a bit amongst the team and their luggage as they waited for the limousine to pick them up, and his agitated pacing didn't go unnoticed.

"Neil, you okay?" Odie asked, looking at Neil weirdly.

Neil paused for a moment, thought for a bit and replied, "Yeah, I think." and then resumed his pacing.

Atlanta raised an eyebrow and nudged Herry. "What's biting him?"

Herry shrugged. "Maybe he broke a nail or something. I don't know, but he's probably okay."

The limousine came, drawing up into the small driveway. Herry helped the team load up their luggage at the back, and then everyone tumbled into the limousine, Neil going in last with a distracted and faraway expression on his usually relaxed face.

Just then, a familiar figure came out of the hotel, with platinum blond hair that stood out even from afar, and Neil started. After a split second, a nervous smile broke out on his face, and queerly he announced to the passengers in the limousine, "Hold on for a second, I need to do something!"

With that, he opened the door, and without even closing it, he ran off with the speed of light.

"What's he doing?" Herry asked, looking utterly confused.

"He's going to Lyrea," said Theresa and Archie simultaneously, and then they stared at each other. "How did you know?" they asked this time, in unison again too.

"Lyrea?" Herry blinked. "Oh."

* * *

"Hey!"

Lyrea looked up, and to her surprise, she saw Neil. _Running_.

"And wonders never cease," she muttered to herself under her breath, and shouldered her bag a little higher. She felt a tad miffed because she'd helped out, ended up being furiously reprimanded by her father and then in the end Neil had never come back to see her at all. It seemed that she had just fallen off the face of his own world, but then again, she thought that she should have known. He usually only thought about himself, and she'd already found that out a long time ago.

"Yeah?" she said, trying to force the undertones of irritation out of her words as she spoke each one.

Neil paused when he reached her side, huffing. "I'm leaving."

Lyrea rolled her eyes. "Well, duh, you're at a hotel. I know you'll be leaving sooner or later."

Neil stared at her. "No, I mean, I'm leaving. I'm really leaving. Like, _now_."

Lyrea felt a rush of an unnamed _something_ course through her for a small second. Her eyes softened. "Oh."

"And I just wanted to tell you something," Neil said in a rush, and was it her imagination, or was he actually clasping and unclasping his hands in _nervousness_? "You know, these few days, I realised something."

He took a humongous breath like the dramatic fellow he was, and then he said with much honesty, "I like you, Lyrea."

The world slowed to a stop, and Lyrea was suddenly aware that her heartbeat was pounding in her ears. "Huh?"

Neil gave her a look. "I said, I like you. How many times must I repeat it?"

A smile started growing on her face, and she thought for a moment. Should I say it? And despite her better judgement, she finally spoke. "I like you, too."

Neil's eyes widened till they seemed to grow to the size of saucers, and here, he actually felt the joy. He'd never really felt anything but being honoured when girls fell at his feet - yes, they do! - but, for some reason, this mattered. A whole lot.

"So what's going to happen next?" Lyrea asked. "We don't really know each other all that well, and you're moving away. Now what?"

Neil produced a piece of paper and a pen from his pocket. "We stay in contact?" He scribbled something down on the paper, and then tore it into half. "Here's my email, I s'pose," - and Lyrea tried to hide her grin when she saw his email address, because it was a perfectly accurate expression of Neil's love for, well, _himself_ - "and you're supposed to give me yours. At least we can talk, or something."

"Deal."

Neil smiled.

"Yeah, deal."

* * *

**Author's Note**: I wouldn't go for the extremes of them dating yet, because they hardly know each other. Let's give them some time to get to know each other, shall we? (: I hope this was to your liking, because we're nearing the end. As I've said, only the Epilogue to go. The Epilogue leaves things open for a future sequel, I supposed, that I already have planned, but it's unlikely that I'll write it. But anyway, as I've also said, would love it if you stop for a minute and leave a review, 'cuz that'll be wonderful and will make my day (: Hope you enjoyed this!


	25. Epilogue

Author's Note: Wow. It's hard to believe I've come twenty-five chapters and all the way here, even though it took the longest time ever, and now it's complete. I want to thank all you guys who reviewed, favourited etc, and I appreciate all of you for reading. Would love it if you would review too when you favourite or story-alert, because feedback is very important to me. I'm not sure if I'm going to be around the fandom anymore, besides dropping in once in a while to update some incomplete stories, but that's about it. But my time here at Fanfiction has been awesome, and I'll just leave my stories here should anyone want to read.

I will still be beta-reading though, if anyone wants help with their writing, I don't mind.

Okay, without much further ado, here is the epilogue of **A Ski Trip to Remember**.

* * *

**Epilogue**

It was one trip that they would never really forget.

It taught them that they had let their guard down too much, and that Jay was right - they needed to be on their toes all the time, lest they fall pray to Cronus' evil machinations. It also made them realise even more so their vunerability and mortality, and how relationships they had should be appreciated at every moment, every second of their lives, because it could be their very last.

Faith, sacrifice, understanding - that's what made the ski trip as unforgettable as it was.

* * *

_(Three months later)_

"Neil!"

Neil's head snapped up from staring at the computer screen - or to be precise, Odie's laptop screen. "Yes, Odie?" he replied rather lazily, moving the mouse around and scrolling the screen down. "Can't you see I'm a little... busy?"

Odie rolled his eyes and plopped himself onto his bed. "No, but I can see that I need my computer back for my project." He paused and stared as Neil blatantly disregarded every single bit of his words. He tried to go with a little emphasis. "_Now_."

Neil just smiled winningly at Odie, who wasn't the least bit fazed. After all, Neil was a model, not some innocent child that could pull off the puppy-dog look - okay, innocent child or not, Odie could take that back, because once Neil unleashed the Real Thing, Odie felt himself grumbling and heading for the door. "Fine. But you better be soon."

Neil waved his hand rather dismissively at Odie. "Yes, soon as soon will be."

Odie's hand hesitated at the door knob, and he raised an eyebrow at Neil, who was frantically tapping away on the keyboard this time. "Why do you need my computer so desperately?"

Neil froze. He scooted away from the laptop in comical despair at a sudden realisation. "I'm spending too much time thinking of her. I am, aren't I, Odie?"

Odie almost burst out laughing at Neil's theatrics. "Who? You mean Lyrea?"

"Yes," Neil replied very seriously, but his eyes were constantly drifting towards the laptop - an email from said girl, Odie supposed - and snapping back as quickly as he could back to Odie's face. "I mean, I haven't looked at a mirror in an hour! What's to become of me?"

"Nothing," Odie said, watching as Neil scrambled up and took a good look at himself in Odie's small mirror right beside the closet. "Absolutely nothing -"

"You really think so?" Neil asked dubiously, at the same time Odie said jokingly, "- Except for being a lovestruck kid."

And Odie quickly ducked out of the door and shut it by the time Neil exclaimed indignantly, "Oh, hey!" - and went straight back to emailing Lyrea as he always did, the mirror not-so-tragically forgotten.

* * *

In a dank, deep cave well hidden away in the forest, a baby's wails broke the still silence of the air, and panting followed.

Metis finally pulled herself up into a sitting position and leaned onto the walls for support. She hadn't given birth to a child since Athena, and she had forgotten all the pains that had come with it. She glanced with much disgust at her child - child of _Zeus _- as he wailed and wailed and screamed for attention.

"This," she said, but mostly to herself, "is the child that is supposed to overthrow Zeus?"

But she was sure that predictions still held true even after a good many thousand and more years. And that meant that this child could still be a potential disaster in terms of Zeus and his status, and it signalled a chance for revenge.

Of course, she would still have to deal with Cronus for his trickery and deceit, and how he dealt her the worst possible blow - by making her have Zeus' child. But then she could use this newborn son to her advantage, and use him as a foil to her enemies.

She gazed at the baby, her gaze softening just a little, and she took him in her arms and soothed him.

* * *

"Morpheus."

It was a harsh voice, one that was vaguely familiar and then again, not quite. Morpheus frowned from his position at the chair. He was supposed to be on vacation (free from helping Theresa with her mental powers for now, though that girl certainly had a talent there), and no one should be bothering him. Only the gods knew he was here, on this secluded mountain that no human had even put a name to at the moment, and he was pretty much isolated from everyone else.

"What is it?" he asked, unintimidated by the coldness of the voice, or the fact that it struck him as coming from someone he had known a long time ago. "I'm on vacation. And -" He turned around in his chair, and the drink slipped from his fingers and shattered on the floor.

"- And all alone here. I'm sure you're willing to have some company to stave away the... loneliness, perhaps?" The god smiled, but it was one fully devoid of mirth, and it spelled other things that were in store for Morpheus.

Morpheus chuckled lightly and glanced down at the spilled drink, trying not to show the nervousness that was probably clouding his brow. "Cronus. What can I do for you?"

Cronus took a step closer, making his scythe painfully obvious from one of his hands. He cocked his head to one side for a moment, as if thinking, but Morpheus could sense the malicious intent gathering strength.

"Well," Cronus began, folding his arms with an arrogant smile, "I need you to make me - a _dream_."

* * *

**Author's Note**: And... The end. I know it's a rather cruel place to leave off, because there's an obvious cliffhanger there, and the dream that Cronus wants Morpheus to create for him is a rather interesting one, to say the least, that I had originally planned for the sequel. But right now, I'm insanely busy with my workload and I've not watched Class of the Titans for a very long time, so much so that I'm probably beginning to lose bits of their characterisation, so I don't think I'll continue, at least not in the near future. But you can look out for the sequel if and when I do post it; it'll be called **With Everything to Fear**, and if it is ever written, it will include Jay battling, well, _himself_, Archie losing fear and paying for it and Lyrea will once again make an appearance. Not to forget Cronus' evil schemes and Metis' child being groomed into the next king of Olympus.

So I just want to thank you all for following this to the very end, those of you who are reading this, and that it's been great writing this story, and if I do have a chance, I will write the sequel. But no promises. (:


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